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contributors
PENELOPE DREADFUL

VICKIE EVERHART

GEORGE GEDER

Penelope Dreadful is the alter ego
of Denise Levenick. Denise authors
the blog, The Family Curator and
gives us something “Dreadful”
every month.

Vicki is the author of Creative
Moments. She also authors the
blog BeNotForgot.

George is the author of The
Healing Brush Column. He also
authors the George Geder blog.

DENISE OLSON

SHERI FENLEY

CAROLINE POINTER

Denise is the author of The Future
of Memories Column. She also
writes the blog Family Matters and
experiments with her iPad

Sheri writes The Year Was . . .
Column. She also authors the blog
The Educated Genealogist.

Caroline is the new In2Genealogy
Columnist. She is also the author
of the Family Stories blog.

REBECCA FENNING

CRAIG MANSON

FOOTNOTEMAVEN

Rebecca authors the Saving Face
column. She also writes the blog A
Sense of Face.

Craig authors the Appealing
Subjects column. He also writes
the blog Geneablogie.

Maven edits Shades Of The
Departed The Magazine. She also
writes the blog footnoteMaven and
Shades of the Departed.

from my keyboard
fOOTNOTEMAVEN

THE MOURNING ISSUE
It is a sad irony that with the publication of the Shades Mourning Issue we must say good-bye to two
beloved Shades contributors. Grief, it is said, is the price we pay for love. And we did love them.
Suzanne Mercy Winsor Freeman 1933-2010
Twice Told Tuesday
Suzanne was a terri-ic woman who had such
curiosity and zest for life. Penelope Dreadful
(Denise Levenick) her daughter has asked that
donations be made to the Suzanne Winsor Freeman
Memorial Student Genealogy Fund at any Wells Fargo
Bank c/o Wells Fargo Bank, Green Valley, Arizona
520/625-1222. For more information, or contact
Denise Levenick via Contact the Curator.
William Terrance Thornton 1939 ‐ 2010
The Graveyard Rabbit
Terry was the -irst columnist at Shades, developing The
Graveyard Rabbit Column, which became an entire
association. In a note from Terry’s wife Betty, she
asked, “Who knew death would come so fast?”
None of us!
Join Shades as we explore the Mourning Issue.

THE EXCHANGE

LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH THE EXCHANGE

Lineagekeeper says:
Superb design, content and writing.
Establishes the high-water mark in
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Celebrating The Best Magazines
and Individuals From
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Industry
Shades has entered the contest. As you
know, if you spend much time on the net,
all the big boys have a digital version of
their magazine. The competition is stiff.
So we have crossed everything including
our eyes. Please wish us luck! We do it
for the love of it!

Thank you so much!
From your keyboard to the DMA
judges eyes.
fM

THE YEAR WAS . . .

the year was 1871
QUEEN VICTORIA IS EVERYWHERE!

BY SHERI FENLEY
"Late one night
When we were all in bed
Old Mother Leary
Left a lantern in the shed
And when the cow kicked it over,
She winked her eye and said,
There’ll be a hot time
In the old town, tonight."
On October 8, 1871, a -ire began on DeKoven Street in a barn owned by Catherine and

Courtesy of Stanford University

Patrick O'Leary. Fueled by a gale‐force wind, this blaze grew into the Great Chicago Fire.

6 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

Dr. John Maynard Woodworth is appointed the -irst Surgeon General
served under General William Sherman and on the "March to the
Sea" he was in charge of the ambulance train. John Maynard
Woodworth remained in the position of Surgeon General until his

http://www.historic-uk.com

death in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 1879.

www.surgeongeneral.gov

by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 29, 1871. Woodworth

November 10, 1871 – Henry Morton Stanley locates the
missing explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone in
Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, and greets him by saying "Dr.
Livingstone, I presume?"

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The beginning of the end for "Boss" Tweed began on July 8, 1871 when cartoonist Thomas
Nast received information about the corruption at Tammany Hall. Nast who was working
for Harper's Weekly, joined forces with The New York Times who had started a series of
articles exposing the corruption of Tammany Hall. In his cartoons, Thomas Nast used his
talents to depict Tweed as a thief which were published week after week in Harper's
Weekly. Tweed is -inally indicted on criminal charges in December and expelled from

The card game of Poker is introduced to Queen Victoria at a royal party in Somerset,
England in 1871 by U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Robert Cumming Schenck causing a
minor diplomatic scandal. After showing Her Royal Highness how to play it is said that she

What has footnoteMaven done to the Queen?

enjoyed the game so much, she requested the rules be written down for her private use.

The National Ri-le Association is granted a charter by the State of New York on
November 24, 1871. Founded by former Union Army of-icers to encourage
marksmanship and gun safety, the -irst president was former Senator and Union
Army General Ambrose Burnside.

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By 1871, fullness in the skirt had moved to the rear, anchored and supported by a bustle.
Day dresses had high necklines and draped overskirts to produce an apronlike effect from
the front. Hair was pulled back at the sides, exposing a lady's ears.

Opposite Page:
The well dressed man, September 1871, from
the Gazette of Fashion, and Cutting-Room
companion [afterw.] Minister's Gazette of
Fashion.

and that was the year 1871
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A REVOLUTIONARY
PURSUIT
Maureen Taylor
The Photo Detective

Maureen Taylor asks, “Did you know that many of
the men and women who lived during the American
Revolution lived into the age of Photography?”
Almost a decade ago I began researching, The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary
War Generation (Kent State University Press); a project that would, at times, consume all
my spare time. It all started when a gentleman at a genealogy conference showed me a
daguerreotype of his loyalist ancestor, Jonathan Leonard, who’d spent the Revolutionary
War in Bermuda. As I looked at it I remember pausing and thinking there must be more
photographs of 18th individuals out there. I didn’t want to only represent veterans, like the
Reverend Elias Hillard did in his book, The Last Men of the Revolution (N.A. and R.S. Moore,
1864) reprint. Barre, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1968); I wanted to show the
pictures and tell the life stories of the men and women who lived during a signi-icant
period in American history. It took my background as a picture researcher, genealogist and
photo historian to locate photographs, dig for facts and interpret the photographic images.
At times, I despaired of -inding enough images and information to -ill a book. Individuals
that lived during the American Revolution and lived after 1839, were generally between 80
to 100 years of age at the time of the photograph.
There were many supporters of this project. Among them, David Lambert, Online
Genealogist at the New England Historic Genealogical Society who joined the search and
contributed several images from his private collection. Eric Grundset, Library Director of

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the Daughters of the American Revolution Library sent us nineteenth century publications
about “last men” and offered guidance.
The big question was “how many people who lived during the Revolution actually lived
after the advent of the age of photography in 1839?” The 1840 Census of Pensioners
provided a list of names of individuals who collected pensions and their ages, but I didn’t
know how many of those had Revolutionary War pensions. It was a Pension Of-ice report
published in the December 10, 1852, New York Times that mentioned speci-ic numbers of
individuals still living. That report mentioned that the total number of soldiers who still
received pensions under the Acts of 1818, 1828 and 1832 was 1,876. Also according to that
report 6,258 Revolutionary War widows and orphans who applied under the Acts of 1836,
1838 and 1848 were still collecting in 1852. To search for each individual separately could
easily take a lifetime. A broader approach was necessary.
I promoted the project by writing articles for magazines and online websites, distributed
-lyers at every genealogical event, published information on my website
www.Maureentaylor.com [Link] and spoke about it at every lecture. The images trickled in.
Using photo speci-ic terms such as daguerreotype and ambrotype and narrowing the
search by decade yielded results on online databases. For instance the Library of Congress,
had images of several notable men, but I really wanted to locate some previously
unpublished images.
Newspaper databases contained large numbers of obituaries as well as lists of veterans
and articles on the last living Revolutionary War widows. In some instances, articles
included pictures of those mentioned, but no amount of searching ever found those
original photos.
The -inal seventy images in the book represent a cross‐section of the generation that
experienced the war. There are men who served, women who married pensioners, Quakers
who remained neutral, African‐Americans and Native Americans. There are famous men
and women like President Andrew Jackson who served as a young teen, and First Lady
Dolley Madison who was a child. Both left voluminous records of their lives. Then there are

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folks like John Williams, a former slave from Rhode Island, who only appears in census
records and a newspaper obituary.
While the 1852 pension report mentioned that thousands more women than men collected
pensions, only 14 out of the 70 pictures depict women. Did fewer women go to the photo
studio to pose for pictures? Given the scarcity of photos of women from the period, it seems
likely. Those that were included range from Molly Ferris Akin, whose participation was an
oral tradition until a 20th descendant wrote it down to Elizabeth Cutler who raised a family
and kept the family tavern solvent while her husband served the cause. The last living
Revolutionary War widow didn’t die until 1906—there was quite an age gap between her
and husband.
Many of the individuals were well‐known for other reasons than their participation in the
war. Nikonah fought on the side of the British under General Brandt, but had his picture
taken for an ethnographic reason—he was the last living member of the Tutelo tribe.
Several men recalled their Revolutionary War experiences as young children. Thomas
Handasyd Perkins saw the frozen blood in the
street after the Boston Massacre. Samuel Fay’s
father took his -ive year old son to the Battle of
Bennington.
The national title “Last man of the Revolution”
passed from man to man, but each town also

had their own. In 1869 Daniel Frederick Bakeman was proclaimed the “last Revolutionary
War soldier,” but research on the book discovered a man who saw minor service, but
outlived Bakeman. John Kitts of Baltimore, who posed in uniform died in 1870.
There may be other contenders out there hidden in public and private collections. Now that
the Last Muster is in print, more images are coming to light. If you have a picture of an
individual who lived during the Revolutionary War, I’d love to see it. Volume two is
underway.

A sneak peek video of The Last Muster is available on
Vimeo [Link].

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Maureen A. Taylor is the author of several books on photography and family history including
Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840­1900 (Picture Perfect Press) and Preserving Your Family
Photographs (Picture Perfect Press). Follow her photo identiQication work through her free e­
newsletter (sign­up [ Link ]on www.maureentaylor.com), Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.com.

Mrs. Susan Francis Birdsong died with the full assurance and triumph of a living faith in the
blessed Savior, on the 19th of April 1892, having professed a hope in Christ when quite
young. She was the wife of George L. Birdsong, who proceeded her to the grave several
years ago. In early life she became a member of the Methodist church living a consistent
member of that church until 1868, when for some cause, unknown to the writer, she joined
the Missionary Baptist Church at New Harmony where she remained a member until her
death, and where she rarely missed a service, nearly always being in her seat.

A Newspaper Obituary from Upson County, Georgia, 1892
The Albuquerque Tribune died yesterday [February 23, 2008] after a long illness. It was 86
years old. The Tribune was born in 1922 as Magee's Independent, a weekly sheet. Its
midwife and -irst editor was an Oklahoma City transplant named Carlton Cole Magee
(1873‐1946). Magee was a lawyer who later invented the parking meter.

A Newspaper's Obituary
The [Denver] Rocky Mountain News breathed its last breath on Friday, February 27, 2009.
It was less than sixty days shy of its 150th birthday, having -irst appeared on April 23, 1859.

18 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

checking the obituaries

The Rocky's demise comes almost exactly a
year after the end of its E.W. Scripps Co.
sibling, the Albuquerque Tribune . . . .

Another Newspaper's Obituary
A long long time ago, there were printed
publications known as the daily
newspapers. As the name implies, these
products were made of paper and
printed with ink, and contained
information about what was new in a
community. Newspapers could be
delivered to one's home, and
frequently were either morning or
afternoon; or they could be
purchased at places known as newsstands or
news agents. Adolescents often had their -irst entrepreneurial
experience as a "newspaper carrier." Newspapers contained information about politics,
about war and peace, about sport and leisure, and community events. Newspapers gave
communities their very identity in some cases. Newspapers acted as the voice of the
community it or the conscience of the community in other cases. Short of having a personal
correspondence, abroad, reading the newspaper was the only way to -ind out what
happened beyond one's community. Newspapers were said to contain the -irst draft of
history.
Great communities had great newspapers and great newspapers made great communities
even greater. Some newspapers claim to be "the paper of record" for their community.
That was more than just a slogan in many cases. Most states and local jurisdictions have
rules that require that certain acts of public agencies, as well as certain types of legal
notices, be published in "a newspaper of general circulation." Where there are several
newspapers in a jurisdiction, the paper of record is selected by competitive bidding. The

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newspaper runs these notices not as a public service, but for remuneration just as they
would classi-ied ads.
[Oh yes, classi-ied ads: these were advertisements arranged by category, in alphabetical
order. Usually brief, they could be used to offer for sale or or offer to buy products or
services. Some were called "personals" which were usually messages to individuals, who
chose this medium over the mail service. (Sometimes the the personal ads were also used
to offer for sale or offer to buy certain services, though not in the so‐called family
newspapers!)].
Newspapers served an important societal function as well: they told us who had been born
and to whom, who had wed and to whom, who divorced and why, and who among us had
died. At the height of the newspaper industry, these notices were carried as a public service,
or as important news. With respect to who got married, for example, this would often
appear in two places in the newspaper: -irst among the general public notices, and a select
few on the so‐called "society pages." This section of the newspaper was sometimes called
the "women's section." The wedding notices which appeared on the society pages or in the
women's section often were paid for by the couple or friends of the couple. They were
often written by the friends of the couple. If, however, the couple were prominent in the
community, then their marriage would be handled as a regular news story; that is to say, it
would be written by a reporter, edited with the other news, and not paid for by any
interested party.
Just as important as the marriage notices, perhaps more so, were the obituaries or death
notices. Research in the late 20th century showed that people often read the obituaries
-irst. The obituaries were so important that many larger newspapers had obituary editors,
just as they had news editors, sports editors and feature editors. At an early point in the
newspaper business, obituaries or death notices were viewed as part of the public service
provided by newspaper, like the weather or the crime blotters. Some newspapers viewed
obituaries as news, particularly if the decedent had been an important member of the
community, or if in a small town simply a member of the community. Later newspapers

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dropped their public‐service obituaries and death notices became a service for a fee. These
obituaries were handled by the classi-ied ads department.
In the mid‐20th‐century, the newspaper industry began to ail, starved for suf-icient
revenues and unable to keep pace with emerging technologies. Many strategies were were
attempted to improve the health of the industry, but by the end of the 20th century,
hundreds of the best newspapers in America newspapers had gone the way of the 78 rpm
record [what's this?] and the VCR. Some were not missed.
What happens to the record when the paper of record has passed on?
This is an important question for historians, genealogists, anthropologists, cultural
observers, political scientists, demographers, and, indeed, each of us. The answer
increasingly is that the public record is held by the government, under strict conditions of
secrecy, allegedly to protect our privacy and to protect us from criminals and foreign
enemies. So, the other death here is public access to public records which ought to be public
knowledge.
New technologies have taken over; surviving newspapers have adapted to changing times
and habits. Many newspapers now have online editions, and many of these run obituaries.
And newspapers collaborate with websites like ObitsArchive.com [Link], and Legacy.com
[Link]. Obituaries from participating newspapers may be found on both of these sites.
However, at Legacy.com, family and friends of the deceased may create memorial pages,
complete with guest books, to honor the deceased. In a similar, but slightly different
manner, the site Footnote.com [Link] encourages the creation of "person pages," which
need not be, but frequently are posthumous. Social networking sites like Facebook.com
[Link] permit the maintenance of memorial pages as well.
Many funeral homes also have online memorials; see for example, a site called
RememberTheirStory.com [Link], the online presence of French Funerals & Cremations
in Albuquerque.
But as a recent correspondent to the Proprietress of This Very Publication noted, these
types of obituaries or memorials or eulogies, because of their digital nature, are not
22 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

necessarily permanent. They can be ephemeral or they may migrate from location to
location in cyberspace, making it dif-icult to -ind them. [T]hese digital postings may only be
as permanent as that company maintains a server or database; there may not be a durable
future library collection of online newspapers, our correspondent wrote. He then
wondered if there exist any practical guidelines for how to collect this "digital memorial
history" into personal documents and how to create the correct evidence citations that will
be of use to the future researchers who inherit our family history -iles?
The writer posed the question of how to capture the facts and the scope of th[ese] "meta‐
document[s]"?
As to the possible loss of valuable information that is only online, we take some solace in
the fact that
The Internet Archive [Link], a 501(c)(3) non‐pro-it, is building a
digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital
form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers,
historians, scholars, and the general public.
From About the Internet Archive, [Link], retrieved 17 July 2010.
The IA, which includes the "Wayback Machine," has already archived more than 150 billion
pages since 1996. The Archive is searchable. Most importantly, the Archive provides
methods for creators of content to add it to the Archive. The Archive can be linked to and
referenced. We can be certain that this technology will get better as time passes.
Nonetheless, a couple of issues exist with this sort of system. First, content owners can
keep their content out of the Archive either electronically (by using a robots.txt -ile) or by
simply requiring the Archive to remove the content. Second, it is not clear how far the
copyright doctrine of "fair use" will go to sustain individual use of the copyright‐protected
materials in the Archive's collections.
But to answer the question of how web obituaries and memorials get collected into useful
documents, creators of such "meta‐documents" will need to allow their content to be
archived. Presumably, they want a memorial which will be enduring.

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Recently the afore‐mentioned Proprietress of This Very Publication ran a feature in our
namesake blog on an enterprise called Historypin. She noted that they aim to become the
largest user‐generated archive of the world's historical images and stories. This would
appear to be another way in which to preserve the memorial records. Read the full story
(and see a video demonstration) at [ Link ].
The next question is how to cite digital memorials so that they are accessible. If for
genealogical purposes, then the same standards set forth in sources like Evidence
Explained! should apply; if for other purposes, the standard style manual for the discipline
or individual publication will dictate.
Though the death of the daily newspaper has been unsettling for some of us, there’s no
reason for anything but optimism for the future of
important records and documents. As the
e m i n e n t t e c h n o l o g y a n d g e n e a l o g y
commentator Tamura Jones wrote recently,
"The eventual future is that all vital sources
will be online, and that's vitally different."
Read his full forward‐looking article
[Link] The Future of Genealogy.

Ever wonder how Dead Fred’s
Genealogy Archive
got its start?
Joe Bott, Dead Fred’s creator, takes us on a
fascinating journey into Fred’s history.
While in Downtown Newport, RI, during the summer of 1965, I got caught in a rainstorm, and I
quickly ducked into an antique store. Waiting for the storm to subside, I browsed around the
store and found on a table a family photo album. This was the first time I had ever entered an
antique store in my life and the first time I had seen old photographs. I was 19 years old and in
the Navy. Antique stores and photo albums didn't exist to 19-year-old sailors. Trying to stretch
my time I started looking through the album, and I was somewhat taken aback by the album’s
inhabitants and the mystery surrounding them. On impulse, I decided to buy the album, which
was priced at $19.00. This was a lot of money to me. Navy pay at the time wasn’t good for a
lowly seaman, but I had the amount needed and made the purchase. Thank goodness for an
impulse purchase! This was the beginning of my photo collection and the birth of a healthy
obsessive-compulsive personality, which would eventually lead to my 17,000-photo collection
today and DeadFred.com.
Let’s fast-forward to June 1998 in Springdale, Arkansas. When I was 52 and working for Tyson
Foods, I came down with an illness that had me bedridden for 4 months. I couldn’t get around
much, so my wife Laurie bought me a computer. Once acclimated to the World Wide Web, I set
out surfing for my family history. It was during this time, while filing photos, that I noticed a
photo of a woman and a baby. On the back was written, “David James Robb Grigson 3 mos born
July 16, 1908.” Also written was “Mrs. Richard Grigson and son.”
Using my newly learned web surfing expertise, I was able to ferret out the particulars regarding
the baby. In the Social Security Death Index I found this David, now dead, listed with place of
death as Fort Lee, NJ. Using a Yahoo! People Directory I was able to find the son of the baby. I

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contacted him by phone, told him about the photo, jotted down his address and sent him the
photo (What a rush!) This photo reunion would eventually lead to DeadFred.com.
Having orchestrated the Grigson photo reunion, I started sorting my collection, separating those
that were identified from those that weren’t. The identified photos numbered about two thousand.
I realized that my searching online to find the rightful descendants with whom to reunite that
many photos would be impossible. I realized, too, from my online family research that there
weren’t any comprehensive genealogy photo sites with posting capabilities. Everyone, it
appeared, had family photos online, but you had to go to each family site to look at them. With
this epiphany I started placing photos on my American Online website in an attempt to get some
faces with names out there. The site was limited, as AOL could hold only a very small number of
images. I finally realized after a few months that I needed to have a professional website
company build a site that would hold all two thousand photos.
To my great luck I found Vulcan Creative Labs, a small local startup company that had very
talented people. These folks realized my ideas, and in March 2001, after the design, database and
internal photo uploading function were operational, the official Dead Fred Genealogy Photo
Archive was launched.
We anticipated a very slow traffic buildup over the first year or so, but to our incredible surprise,
we were getting thousands of visits and hundreds of emails asking about family photos. One
question in particular was, “How can I post my own photos?” At the time we didn’t have a public
photo uploader, so DeadFred’s Code Poet (Database Designer) Amanda installed one.
Immediately visitors began to upload photos.
Getting this much traffic in so short a time created a happy dilemma: How was I to manage this
kind of traffic all by myself? I wondered. I had a full-time position, and I was spending 30-40%
of my time traveling. I found resolution by asking the folks at Vulcan Creative Labs to become
partners. Happily, they accepted. Vulcan Creative Labs eventually closed its doors in 2006, so
the partners could begin other endeavors related to their individual talents and also help with
managing DeadFred.com.

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Eric Huber of Mighty Creative performs all the design work and manages our blog. Jeannette
Balleza of Scribe Marketing, Inc. works on public relations efforts and copywriting. Amanda
Shertzer of Code Poetry, Inc., is our database designer. All are experts in their specific fields and
volunteer their expertise to keep DeadFred.com alive and kicking. Not to be left out is Tamara
Burlingame, who has moderated DeadFred’s Yahoo! Discussion Group for over two years and is
well respected by the 1,700+ group members.
Today DeadFred.com is getting daily over 5,000 sessions and on average 125,000 page views.
Pretty nice statistics for a specialty niche website!
The single purpose behind DeadFred.com hasn’t changed since 1998—reuniting rightful families
with their ancestor’s photographs. Getting to this point has been rewarding and hard work, but
we didn’t get here by ourselves by any means. Much support comes to us from genealogy’s top
experts. Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, has helped us immeasurably over the years with
her articles in Family

Tree

especially

29th, 2008, when she

on

August

m e n t i o n e d
Today Show! There is
Smolenyak of Honoring

In addition to being heirlooms
that need to be reunited with
their families, these photographs

Magazine

and

DeadFred.com on The
also Megan Smolenyak
Our Ancestors who gave

us a much needed grant

are also a collective living

in November 2002; she

has been an invaluable

pictorial remnant of history.

supporter

beginning.

Colleen

since

the

Fitzpatrick, The Forensic

Genealogist, has helped in many ways, and Lisa Alzo graciously has written several very nice
articles about us in Genealogy Online & Family Chronicle Magazine. DeadFred.com is very
much alive because of all these wonderful people, who likewise want to help return orphaned
photos back into the hands of their families.
I’m guessing that most of you hate to see these photos lying around and gathering dust. I can’t
count how many times I’ve received emails from people telling me how sad they are to see these
photos stuffed in boxes in antique stores, in flea markets or tossed into the trash because the
owners didn’t know what to do with them. It is sad, but the happy part is that there’s a place now
to put them where they can be reunited and also enjoyed by future generations.

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fun captured almost 100 years ago
In addition to being heirlooms that need to be reunited with their families, these photographs are
also a collective living pictorial remnant of history. They capture a nano-second in time that are
now years past, keeping that moment in front of us to enjoy or ponder. My favorites are those to
which I can personally relate:
Above are unidentified photos from an album I acquired, comprised of photos taken in the early
1900s near Shenandoah, PA. My grandmother was from Shenandoah, PA. Maybe she knew these
children? I like to think so. Perhaps she passed them on the street on occasion. Regardless, what
I see here is fun captured almost 100 years ago. I absolutely love it!
I hope some or all of what I said above interests you enough to visit DeadFred.com and possibly
submit a boxful of your photos. They don’t have to be orphaned photos; they can be images of
your own ancestors that you might like to share with unsuspecting cousins you have yet to meet!
Who knows? Maybe you have a photo of my brick-wall Grandmother Mary (McIntyre) Bott
who died in Philadelphia in 1919, and maybe I am one of those unsuspecting cousins ‹fingers
crossed›!
Article & Photographs
Joe Bott
DeadFred's Genealogy Photo Archive
DeadFred's relatively speaking Blog

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THE FUTURE OF MEMORIES

at the cabin
A PHOTO ALBUM RIGHT IN MY LAP
BY DENISE BARRETT OLSON

Recently I attended a reunion of military families who served in the same unit. This is a
very special unit in many ways, but because unit members spend a lot of time away from
home in strange ‐ and often dangerous ‐ places, families are also very close, supporting each
other through good times and bad. As a result, this reunion was very much a family reunion
where family photos were shared along with "ops" photos. Children and grandchildren
were celebrated as much as memories of deployments and wild parties.
My iPad attracted a lot of attention in this geeky crowd, but what delighted them most was
the photo gallery. Not only are the photos big enough to view, but it's also easy to zoom in
on details like an adorable smile in a group shot. As we ladies sat there oooh‐ing and aaah‐
ing over the photos, I was reminded of earlier days when a family photo album was shared
with visitors. Other than the technology, the one thing missing from my photo album was
the handwritten captions describing who, what, when and where.
Later, after I got back home, I started looking for options to create an iPad version of that
old family album ‐ one that could be shared far beyond the limits of my device. My original
plan was to create something on my desktop that could then be moved to the iPad, but it
dawned on me that I already had everything I needed right on my iPad. The challenge now
became to create an album with photos, captions and design elements using only my iPad.
The results were surprising. Not only did I create a photo album right in my lap, but it was
both easy, affordable and fun.
One of my favorite Mac applications is Keynote, the presentation application that is part of
Apple's iWork of-ice suite [Link]. Apple has built iPad versions of each app in the suite and

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they can be purchased in the App Store for $9.99 each. The iPad version of Keynote can
import presentations from the desktop version and from Microsoft's PowerPoint software.
It also connects with the photos stored on my iPad, making it easy to include them in a
presentation. It's a great tool for building digital albums and slideshows!
There are a couple of issues with imported presentations. First, Keynote on the iPad doesn't
have all the whistles and bells included in its desktop cousin ‐ or PowerPoint for that
matter. The most likely issue you will face is missing fonts. The iPad version supports about
30 font styles and there is no facility to add more. Unless you already have a project
underway, it's just as easy to start from scratch on the iPad.
Keynote on the iPad includes 12 design themes. I chose the Photo Portfolio theme because
it reminded me of the old family albums I remember. Each theme has several slide types
available to include in your presentation. You choose which you want by touching the plus
sign (+) at the bottom of the navigator pane on the left then touching the slide type you
want. I’ve chosen the title slide with image type to get started.

!

Choose A Theme
Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com 33

The -irst thing I need to do is change the title text. I just double‐tap anywhere in the default
text included with the theme to bring up the iPad keyboard so I can start typing.

!

Touching the information icon at the top of the screen displays several useful formatting
options with the -irst being Style. You can choose any of the styles included in this theme to
format your text or you can scroll to the bottom and choose Text Options to make your own
font choices.

34 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

!

!
As you can see here, you can change the size, color, and font style from this pane. Once
-inished, touch the back arrow in the header to return to the previous pane.

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In this example, the photo on the title slide is from the template. Notice the image icon at
the bottom right corner of the picture. Just tap that icon to replace it with your photo.
Keynote will open your iPad photo gallery so you can browse your photos and select the
image you want from its album. If the photos aren’t already on your iPad, you’ll need to -irst
add them to your iTunes sync list and re‐sync to move them over.

!
Yes, you can easily adjust the image within the frame by pinching in and out to zoom and
sliding it around within the frame until it looks the way you want. You can also do a two‐
-inger twist to rotate it like shown here. The blue dots you see in this example means the
image is selected and you can drag any of those dots to resize the image as needed. Also,
when the image is selected, touching the information icon presents a style pane with photo‐
speci-ic style options so you can change frame style, -lip images and re‐arrange their stack
order.

!

!

Since Keynote themes have a limited number of photo slide options, I often choose the
blank slide type and build my arrangement from there. The steps are simple, just add the
photos you want to the
slide and experiment
with their placement
u n t i l y o u h a v e t h e
arrangement you want.
Now choose the frame
style you want or create a
custom design yourself. If
you want to stack one
photo over another as
shown here, use the
Arrange pane to move the
images to the front or !
back.
Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com 37

Don’t forget your captions. Those names, dates and places insure that future generations
will know the details about these images.
While many of your theme's slide types include some text boxes, the blank slide does not.
You can easily add a text box by tapping the Insert button on the toolbar. Not only can you
insert media (photos), tables and charts, but all kinds of shapes too. Notice that text is
included here in the Shapes pane. To add a text box, just tap the T icon.

!

One thing to note about the objects added from the Insert menu is that they are all styled to
support your selected theme. Notice the dots at the bottom of the Shapes pane displayed in
the example above. Tapping on each of those dots will display the same set of shapes only
in a different style. You can use any of these styled options, but you can also customize
them yourself by selecting the shape once you’ve placed it on your slide then tapping the

38 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

Information icon. The formatting properties displayed in the pane will now be associated
with your selected shape.
As you continue to add slides to your presentation, they will appear in the navigator pane
on the left. You can drag slides up and down the navigator to rearrange their order and you
can duplicate slides by copy/pasting them in the navigator. The diamond icon on the
toolbar is used to set transition effects on the selected slides. Your project is automatically
saved regularly as you work.
Once your album is -inished, you have several options. You can play your presentation on
your iPad by touching the Play icon (triangle at the right of the toolbar) at any time.
Tapping a slide moves to the next. You can forward the album by email as either a Keynote
-ile or in PDF format. Using Apple’s iWork.com service, you can upload your presentation to
your work area there and share it with anyone you wish. This is also a handy way to move

!
-iles from your iPad to your desktop. And, you can choose the Export option to export it in
either Keynote or PDF format back to your desktop via iTunes sync.

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To learn more about Keynote on the iPad, just open the Get Started with Keynote
presentation you’ll -ind when you open the app. It only takes a couple of minutes to learn
the basics and you’ll be working on your own presentation in no time.
Up to this point, we’ve ignored the other side of building a digital photo album ‐ editing
your photos. This is especially important if you’re creating your album from images you just
imported to your iPad from your camera. There are several photo editing apps available for
the iPad and I found that Photogene suits my needs nicely at a very reasonable price
($3.99). Using Photogene, you can crop, straighten and sharpen your photos, adjust color
and exposure, remove red‐eye, resize to any resolution and add any number of special
effects. You can also upload your -inished masterpiece to Facebook and Twitter.
While digging into the details of Photogene is a topic for another article, you can easily pick
up the editing basics in a matter of minutes from their tutorial [Link]. In addition to the
editing tools, this app would be very handy if you’re building a photo album of old family
photos and want to insure each was the same level of black and white ‐ or if you choose to
display them as sepia prints.

40 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

These two apps mean you don’t need to drag your laptop to events just to deal with the
photos you take. For an investment of less than $15.00, you can edit your images, build
spectacular presentations and share them either as slideshows on your iPad or as
downloads sent via email or iWork.com.

I’m holding the future of my photo memories
right here in my lap.

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AT THE CABIN

42 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

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44 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

View The Video

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In The Gloom And
The Gleam
While the craze for the carte­de­visite was at its height, the little
pictures settled like snowQlakes over every corner of life; in due
course they drifted into the graveyard.
‐ Heinz K. Henisch ‐
Below: A superb tombstone photograph in the form of a
collodion positive on glass. Two stone angels watch over
it, and an inscription immediately below the photograph
reads "OH DEATH WHERE IS THY STING?" Reproduced
from one of my favorite photography books, The
Victorians by Audrey Linkman.

Right: The Hopkins Memorial Stone in
the Parish of St. John, Bedwardine,
Worcester, England.
Right Inset: Photograph on Tombstone
of 12 year old John G. Hopkins, son of
T.M. Hopkins, a local hop and seed
merchant.

While we may think of photographs mounted to
tombstones as a rather recent practice, it is not. As
you can see, the daguerrotype and patent shown on
page ??? date from 1853 and 1859.

46 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

If on every tombstone there could be seen the life‐likeness of the
sleeper, as with sparkling eye, and noble mien he walked "a man
among men;" or of some gentle lady, whose kindly and generous
impulses could be read in every feature of the "face divine;" or of
the angel‐child, whose joyous laugh, and innocent smile speaks of
the loss to its bereaved and loving parents‐‐and of its passage
from earthly to heaven to be the guardian‐spirit of the wandering
and the disconsolate upon earth‐how much more inviting would
then be the last resting places of the departed,‐‐could we thus
seek the "living" among the "dead," and on every tombstone see
the living representative of the sleeper. May, 1857 issue of
"Hutching's California Magazine" (San Francisco, Vol.1, No. 11)

From the earliest times, daguerreotypes were created for mounting on tombstones.
Standard monuments were personalized by attaching a photographic portrait of the
deceased. These memorials took the form of a dauguerreotype, ambrotype, tintype, or wet
collodian positive on glass and were placed in a sunken niche in the stone and covered with
glass. The purpose of the glass was to protect the image from moisture. Several patents for
such mounting devices were issued in the 1850s.
Morteotype was one of the names applied to this new application of the daguerreotype. It
was imbedding the likeness of the form and features of the departed on the tombstone, and
making it impervious to the ravages of time by the use of a peculiar kind of cement; which,
it was claimed, made the pictures as durable as the marble itself. The invention of the
Morteotype was claimed by a New York, Baltimore, Richmond, Lynchburg, Petersburg
daguerreian named Jesse Harrison Whitehurst, famous for his portraits and his
entrepreneurship.
While many companies held patents for devices to attach photographs to headstones,
calling them indestructible; sadly they were not indestructible, many falling victim to decay
Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com 47

Your duty to your beloved friends and relatives remains unfulfilled without having placed
one of these beautiful cases upon their monument, so that you and your friends might
often see them as they were known on earth.
Advertisement for "the Indestructible Patent Aluminum Monumental
Photograph Case," by the World Manufacturing Company
of Columbus, Ohio.

Above: A U.S. Patent for a similar process
for securing photographs to monuments.

Above: An example of a daguerrotype that was set in a
tombstone. It was inset under glass with a lead seal which
helped to preserve it. Courtesy ­ The Library of Congress.
Mary Gideon, half plate daguerrotype, ca. 1853. Also referred
to as a morteotype.

48 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

and vandalism. Very few examples remain today of what was once in vogue. Here are
references to photographic headstones that are believed to be in existence today.
The Boston Journal of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Vol. 24­26, 1890, spoke to the Endurance of
a Daguerrotype:
A remarkable example of tho durability of the daguerrotype is to be found in
the old graveyard at Waterford, Conn. In the headstone that marks the grave
of a woman who died more than forty years ago, her portrait is inlaid,
covered with a movable portable shield. The portrait is almost as perfect as
when it was taken.
Worchester, Massachusetts:
On Main St., just south of the Center, the old Burying Ground (1750), now
called Bay Path Cemetery, contains three Photograph Stones ‐ headstones
provided with small glass‐covered niches in which were placed
daguerreotypes of the deceased. Few of these curious stones remain.
Massachusetts: A Guide to its Places and People, Federal Writers' Project, 1937.
Nevada City, Montana

Auguste and Lillie Hermsmeyer, who both died in December 1876 and were
buried in the Nevada City cemetery in Montana. "The photograph has
deteriorated badly, but part of a little girl is still visible and the heavy beveled
glass cover remains intact." Pioneer Cemeteries, Annette Stott.

If you know of any nineteenth century or early twentieth century headstones containing a
photographic representation, please share them in the comments.

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The three most common types of photographic mourning cards are (1) the obituary notice,
printed in gilt, on a black card mount, with or without a portrait; (2) the memorial card,
usually with a portrait, surrounded by a printed wreath, generally with the name of the

deceased and dates of birth and death containing a religious verse; (3) a portrait mounted
on a card with a rectangular or scroll frame printed in black, occasionally with the name of
the deceased.
Mourning cards were published by several national companies. H. F. Wendell of Leipsic,
Ohio, who entered the mourning card business in 1888, was the largest producer in
America within three years. The method used by Wendell to obtain the names and
addresses of the families of the deceased created a cottage industry for women working in
their homes. Wendell placed small ads in local newspapers recruiting women to clip
obituary notices and send them to the him, being paid a penny per notice.
Wendell then printed a single memorial card on speculation and sent it to the family with
his catalog and a note:
This Cabinet Memorial Card is sent to you for inspection. Should you conclude
to keep it, the price is 20 cents. In naming this price we do not mean to
intimate that you are compelled to keep it. You are under no obligation
whatever to keep it, but in case you do not send us the money for it, kindly
return the card within twenty days.

Right: The Angel Of Peace - A memorial
card by H.F. Wendell of Leipsic, Ohio.
Cabinet card design borrowed from the
painting above without attribution.
The moon has been replaced with a round
frame ready to receive a photograph.

Those wishing to include a photograph were given the following instructions:
When ordering the photograph style, send a picture (any size or kind) with
your name on the back, from which our expert photographer will make
duplicates. The picture will be returned without injury or defacement. Any
head in group pictures can be copies by our expert without allowing other
heads to show. Wendell Catalog.
The photograph on the mourning card of Amanda F. Smith appears to have been taken from
a group photograph.

Information mailed by Wendell
Company. In the collection of the author.

Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com 53

Wendell
Testimonials:
I am more than pleased
with memorial cards. The
picture is an exact
likeness of the one copied
from - Mrs. Bessie
Prescott, Hartford Conn.

In the collection of the author.

The cards with
photograph received.
Accept my sincere thanks.
They are really better
than the photograph you
copied from - H.J.
Denbow, Parker S.D.

Above: A page from the H.F. Wendell catalog showing verse selections.
Wendell offered thirty verses, as well as verses in German, Danish,
Norwegian, Swedish and French. For an extra 25 cents a short obituary
could be printed instead of a verse.
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This is the most interesting and unique memorial cabinet card I’ve ever seen. I purchased
the cabinet card mainly for the intriguing information contained on the reverse of the
photograph. Little did I know that this would lead me to an incredible story of murder, an
attempted lynching, courtroom antics, lies, a hanging, and misappropriated body parts. Not
to mention this cabinet card and the part it may have played in the story.
The photograph is of Mamie Kelly, a twelve year old girl who was murdered in San
Francisco, California in 1886. The incredible story is here [LINK ].
Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com 55

pre-mortem mourning
cabinet cards
Below are pre‐mortem (prior to death) portraits mounted on cabinet cards with a scroll
and oval frame printed on a black or dark background that do not contain the name of the
deceased. This was widely promoted by photographers in an effort to use portraits
contained in their archives.
It should be noted that not all cabinet cards containing a scroll are mourning cards. When
this style was -irst introduced it was widely used for commemorative and celebratory
portraits. Clues to look for in determining if you have a mourning card are black
backgrounds, -loral decorations and symbolism such as wheat (long life), weeping willows

Both cabinet cards in the collection of the author.

(sorrow), etc.

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floral tribute photographs
Photographs of -loral tributes were taken in
the photographer’s studio as well as the
home, church, and at the gravesite. Some of
t h e m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g - l o r a l t r i b u t e
photographs contain a cabinet card or
photograph of the deceased within the

Both cabinet cards in the collection of the author.

photograph.

An example of a floral tribute
photograph in the home. This
wonderful photograph belongs to
John Van Noate, who owns the
Memorial, Mourning and
Remembrance set of photographs on
Flickr. [ LINK ] This is a must see!

photographic mourning jewelry
I can put them in Rings, in Keys, or in Lockets;
Or in nice little Cases to slip into your pockets;
In a word, I've Cases of all kinds, single and double,
Lockets too, of all sizes, which saves you all trouble
Of looking any farther than my Daguerrean Gallery.
~ Willard Ellis Geer ~
Advertisement
Forget Me Not: Photography and Remembrance

Below: Magazine Ad for
purchasing inexpensive photo
brooches.

Right: Brooch of three small
children, probably not a
mourning brooch.

Augustus Washington, an African‐
American daguerreotypist working
in Hartford, Connecticut, advised his
customers in April 1853 that "he has
also on hand 100 -ine Gold Lockets,
from six different manufacturers, of
every size and variety, suitable for
one, two, three, or four pictures,
which he will sell cheaper than they
c a n b e b o u g h t a t a n y o t h e r
establishment." Forget Me Not:
Photography and Remembrance

Again, we thank Queen Victoria, who had mourning brooches made that
contained photographs of her late husband, Albert. The advertisements
above demonstrate that photographers were offering photographic jewelry
from the developing of the -irst photographs.
Originally the jewelry may have been purchased as a sign of affection,
later to become a keepsake of mourning and remembrance. Some
created speci-ically for mourning. The advent of photography put the
working class on the same level as the rich in mourning their loved
ones.

LOC: Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with saber and revolver
in oval locket with chain of braided hair.

A family outing at the cemetery.

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Strange &
Unusual

Our cover photograph - Weeping
Women. The symbolism is hard to miss.
This photograph is owned by Thanatos
Net. Thank you so much for allowing
Shades to use this unique photograph as
our cover.

Another version of the weeping women
photograph. Can you explain the hands? If you
have a thought, leave it in the comments. Sold
on eBay, owner unknown.

A group of female pall
bearers taken by Frank
Kelly, South Whitley, Ind.
Read their story here
[ LINK ].

Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com

CAPTURED MOMENTS

record and share
A SIMPLY CHARMING WAY TO CAPTURE YOUR COLLECTIONS
BY JASIA

One of the best ways to record and share a collection with family members is to photograph
the items and create a digital scrapbook page incorporating the photo(s). You can have
multiple prints made of the scrapbook page to share with family members and you’ll have
plenty of space to record information about each item in the collection. Here’s an example
of a page I created for one of my charm bracelets.
The -irst step in creating this page was to photograph the charm bracelet. I shot roughly a
dozen photos of the bracelet on various backgrounds with natural lighting. After
previewing the photos, I chose the one I liked best and moved on to previewing digital
scrapbook kits. I have amassed a nice collection of kits so -inding one that would work well
with the photo I chose was no problem. If you don’t have a collection of kits to choose from
you can -ind many, many kits on the Internet. If you’re so inclined, you can also create
custom backgrounds and elements yourself.
Using Photoshop Elements, I -irst started with the photo of the bracelet. I adjusted the color
to my liking and used the “Cookie Cutter Tool” to crop the part of the photo I wanted to use
into a round shape with scalloped edges. Why that shape? It suited the shape of the charm
bracelet in the photo.
Next I created a new blank -ile, 12”x12” (standard scrapbook page size), and dragged the
background paper of my choice into it. I found a crocheted doily element I liked and that

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came in next. I topped the doily with my scalloped photo image and with that I had the
basic elements of my page in place.
For the information tags that point to the individual charms I once again used the “Cookie
Cutter Tool”. I selected a word balloon shape that would allow me to neatly add text and
pulled the light blue color from the background paper for the tag color. Adding the text for
each individual tag came next. I deliberately kept my info brief but you could easily add
more information, like the date the item was received/purchased, the occasion for which it
was given, etc. and resize the tags accordingly. I -inished the tags with a leaf image created
once again with the “Cookie Cutter Tool”.
The last element I added was the page topic tag in the lower left corner. That tag came from
the same kit as the background paper. I adjusted the color to make it harmonious with the
other colors on the page and added my text to it.
The last task I completed, and the most challenging to make look natural, was adding drop
shadows to each of the elements to give them depth. The key is to make sure the shadows
you add match the direction of the lighting/shadows in the photo. It’s a bit tricky and
requires a bit of trial and error to get it right. To make your shadow more natural, sample
the color of the shadow in the photo and use a shade slightly darker than that for your
other items. The default color of drop shadows in Photoshop is black, but natural shadows
pick up the colors of the items around them. So your shadows will always look more natural
if you use a custom color.
I -inished the page by adding the title, “Simply... Charming!” and saving my work in a
number of formats, native .PSD in case I want to edit the page in the future, .TIF for lossless
data compression used in high quality printing, and .JPG for electronic display and
distribution.
If you’ve got a collection of mementos, souvenirs, collectibles, etc., consider creating a
digital scrapbook page of your collection to document them and share them with others.

Happy Scrapping!
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Mourning And Gone With The Wind
"I have always thought that the system of mourning,
of immuring women in crepe for the rest of their lives
and forbidding them normal enjoyment is just as
barbarous as the Hindu suttee."

Ellen

~ Rhett Butler ~

Scarlett

Melanie

Mourning costume drawings by the famous costumer Walter Plunkett for Gone With The
Wind. There had been some criticism since the movie premiered that Plunkett had played
fast and loose with history in his costume designs. Not the case with the mourning
costumes, as they were such an integral part of the Civil War and the lives of the characters.
Shades MAGAZINE | www.shadesofthedeparted.com 65

Behind The
Camera
Post-Mortem Photography

ADVERTISEMENT

Southwork & Hawes
Boston
1846

We make miniatures of children
and adults instantly . . . and of
Deceased Persons either at our
rooms
or
at
private
residences . . . We take great
pains to have miniatures of
Deceased persons agreeable
and satisfactory, and they are
often so natural as to seem,
even to Artists, in a quiet sleep.
A daguerreian studio in a "For
Sale Ad" made post-mortem
studies its major selling point:
Daguerreian Gallery for Sale The only establishment in a city
of 20,000 inhabitants, and
where the pictures of deceased
persons alone will pay all
expenses.

Photographs of a deceased loved one were a comfort to the family
of the deceased. Families who could not afford to commission
painted portraits could arrange for a photograph to be taken
cheaply and quickly after a death. This was especially important
where no photograph already existed.
The invention of the Carte de Visite, which enabled multiple prints
to be made from a single negative, meant that many images could
be produced inexpensively and sent to distant relatives who could
not attend the funeral. The deceased was commonly represented
as though they were peacefully sleeping rather than dead, although
it was not unusual for the body to be posed to look alive.

The owner of a photographic
studio advertised that “I also
hold myself in readiness to
make pictures from Corpses if
desired.

What a comfort it is to possess the image of those who
are removed from our sight. We may raise an image of
them in our minds but that has not the tangibility of one
we can see with our bodily eyes. Flora A Windeyer, in a
letter to Rev. John Blomfield, November 1870

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How was the photographing of the dead actually
accomplished and were dead bodies transported to
the photographic studio?
I have spent a good deal of time researching old photographic magazines looking for
articles written by photographers detailing their experience photographing the dead.
If you're not squeamish read on.
The Photographic and Fine Arts Journal of 1854 published an article regarding
photographing the dead which commented:
"All likenesses taken after death will of course only resemble the inanimate
body, nor writ there appear in the portrait anything like life itself, except
indeed the sleeping infant, on whose face the playful smile of innocence
sometimes steals even after death. This may be and is oft‐times transferred to
silver plate."
In “Taking Portraits After Death” the
photographer N. C. Burgess discussed the
methods for giving the impression of a
sleeping rather than a dead infant:
“If the portrait of an infant is to be
taken, it may be placed in the mother’s
lap, and taken in the usual manner by
a side light, representing sleep. For an
older child, Burgess recommended
placing the body on a table and using a
sheet as a re-lector, “and very soon a
good picture (is) produced.” Corpses
already in their cof-ins can still be
taken but not quite so conveniently,
nor with so good results.” He
recommended placing the cof-in near
a window (so that the shadows appear
below the nose and eyebrows) and
insisted that “the cof-in should not
appear in the picture,” but rather be
concealed by a shawl or piece of
drapery.

Eyes of the young child have been
added by the photographer.

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A Philadelphia photographer in an article titled, “Ghastly Photographic Experiences,” gave
examples of his experiences photographing the deceased:
"I once photographed two children – sisters – who had died the same day of
diphtheria. They were posed with their arms about each other’s necks.
An Irish family, living in the southern part of the city, called on me about two
years ago to take a picture of their dead son – a young man – with his high hat
on. It was necessary to take the stiffened corpse out of the ice‐box and prop
him up against the wall. The effect was ghastly, but the family were delighted,
and thought the hat lent a life‐like effect.
Sometimes, and at the suggestion of the family, I have -illed out the emaciated
cheeks of dead people with cotton to make them look plump. The eyes are
nearly always propped open with pins or mucilage, but when people can
afford to engage an artist it is an easy matter to paint the eyes afterward."
The British Journal of Photography, 19 February 1904, suggested that to increase the
lifelike appearance of the corpse a few drops of glycerine should be injected into the eyes
with a syringe. The effect was said to be astonishing: “The lids open wide and remain so.”
Also, the lips were colored with carmine: “The
transformation of appearance is then
complete, and the photograph of the corpse
will resemble that of the living person.”
Victorian Postmortem Photography: A How To
Guide
Philadelphia Photographer
Charles E. Orr
1877
The following is an article showing the steps
taken by the post­mortem photographer from
notiQication by the family to turning the
eyeballs to the proper direction. I warned you!
My mode of procedure is as follows: where
the corpse is at some distance and cannot be
conveyed to the [studio], my -irst step is to
secure proper conveyance, select and
carefully prepare a suf-icient quantity of
p l a te s , p a c k n e c e s s a r y i n s t r u m e n t s ,

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implements, chemicals, etc., being careful not to
forget any little thing necessary. Proceed at once to
the cellar or basement of the house, that being
most spacious, and generally affording better
opportunity of shutting out the light than any
other room, set up the bath, have your collodian
and developer in readiness, your -ixer, etc., handy,
secure suf-icient help to do the lifting and
handling, for it is no easy task to bend a corpse
that has been dead more than twenty‐four hours.
Place the body on a lounge or sofa, have the friends
dress the head and shoulders as near as in life as
possible, then politely request them to leave the
room to you and your aides.

Place your camera in front of the body at the
foot of the lounge, get your place ready, and
then comes the most important part of the
operation ‐ opening the eyes. This you can
effect handily by using the handle of a
teaspoon. Put the upper lids up; they will stay.
Turn the eyeball around to its proper place, and
you have the face as nearly as natural as life.
Proper retouching will remove the blank
expression and the stare of the eyes. Such with
me has proved a successful experience."

All photographs inn the collection of

If the room be in the northeast or northwest
corner of the house, you can almost always -ind
a window at the right and left of a corner. Roll
the lounge or sofa containing the body as near
into the corner as possible, raise it to a sitting
position, and bolster -irmly, using for a
background a drab shawl or some material
suitable to the circumstance. By turning the
face slightly into the light, you can produce a
-ine shadow effect if so desired.

Now, you have a glimpse behind the camera of
the post­mortem photographer.

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The
widow’s
weeds
Mourning
Costume
She wears the widow's weeds,
She gives the widow's mite.
At home a while, she in the autumn -inds
The sea an object for re-lecting minds,
And change for tender spirits; there she
reads,
And weeps in comfort in her graceful
weeds.

They were called Widow's Weeds, the dress of the recently widowed. Many have,
incorrectly, ascribed the name to the fact that no bright colors were worn and the dark hues
were closer to the weed than the -lower.
Weed or weeds, the outward woe which women had been condemned to wear, was in fact
the word for dress, attire, or clothing. Weed had previously been used to describe all
manner of garment including the
armor of a knight. The only
remnant of this word remaining in
modern English is the phrase, a
"widow's weeds," the funeral
attire of a recently bereaved
widow.
A heartless wife who, instead of
being grieved at the death of her
husband, is rejoiced at it, should
be taught that society will not

Half-Mourning

respect her unless she pays to the memory
of the man whose name she bears that
"homage which vice pays to virtue," a
commendable respect to the usages of
society in the matter of mourning and of
retirement from the world. Harper's 1878.
Thanks again to Queen Victoria, Victorians
A young Civil War Era Widow
Deep-Mourning

had elaborate sets of rules concerning
mourning. For a widow in 1886 there were
three stages of mourning lasting for a
period of

eighteen months. The three stages each carried a
requirement of very speci-ic garments and lengths of
mourning time. The -irst stage was called deep
mourning and lasted for six months. This -irst stage of
mourning required that the widow be gowned entirely
in black crape. Crape is a crinkled fabric referred to
modernly as crepe. It is correctly referred to in Victorian
times as crape.
The widow was expected to wear gowns of black crepe,
Bombazine or Henrietta cloth. Both Bombazine and
Henrietta cloth were a silk and wool blend. Bombazine
was worn by the middle and lower classes. Henrietta
cloth could be used by the upper classes as long as it
was covered by crepe. During deep mourning the widow
was required to wear black down to her stockings and
under clothing.
A woman's head had to be covered in a crepe veil known as the weeping veil. This veil was a
health risk causing irritation to the nose and eyes that could result in disease and

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blindness. Women were cautioned to wear a tulle patch over their faces to prevent contact
with the crepe. Still, widows wore them.
All kinds of black fur and seal‐skin were worn in the deep mourning stage. Dull jet
ornaments or jewelry made of the deceased's hair were worn for the entire eighteen
months, diamonds set as mementos or in wedding rings
were allowed to be worn.
The widow was to appear as dull and
unadorned as possible in her weeds. Kid
leather gloves in black were worn. Long full
cuffs of white linen or muslin, know as
weepers, were worn at her wrists. It was
believed the purpose was for wiping
away her tears. Black mourning bonnets
were also worn. The widow was given a
choice of a black bonnet or a white crepe
cap similar to that worn by Queen
Victoria. The widow’s cap came to a peak
on her forehead; this is where the term
widow’s peak originated with regard to a V‐

A widow wearing jet jewelry.

pointed hairline.
While wearing deep mourning, a widow did not go into
society, nor did she receive visitors.
Thankfully, after six months of mourning the heavy crepe veil could be removed. At the end
of twelve months of deep mourning the cap or bonnet was removed and the widow moved
into the second stage of mourning. The dress remained a dull black and shiny jet jewelry
could be worn. This stage normally lasted for nine months.
At the end of the nine month second stage, the widow moved into the third stage of
mourning referred to as half‐mourning. The weeds could be of any fabric and the black

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color was not required to be lusterless. A veil was no longer required to be worn and
there was a return to wearing her regular every day jewelry.
During half‐mourning the widow eased herself back into more fashionable dress.
This included the addition of color into the wardrobe. As the mourning period drew
to a close the widow could add grey, mauve, purple, lavender, lilac, white and even at
one point in history, dark red.
With the death of Queen Victorian the elaborate rituals of mourning died in Europe.
In America the massive deaths attributed to the Civil War ended elaborate rituals
here, although many mourning customs still survived. Books regarding the etiquette
of mourning were written well into the 1900s.

The mourning stycostume of Queen
Victoria mimicked in the United States.

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Library of Congress

children and mourning dress

The custom of putting mourning garments on
small children is a barbarous one, and should be
tabooed.
~ Godey's Magazine 1896 ~
From the beginning of the dictates of mourning etiquette, black was always considered far
too severe for infants and children. The mourning for children under twelve years of age
was white in summer and gray in winter, with black trimmings, belt, sleeve‐ruf-les or
bonnet‐ribbons.

Albert wears a white dress indicative of summer
with black ribbons at the sleeves.

Right: Young Girl on her father’s lap.
She wears mourning fabric, white, with a grey
ribbon.

Center: "Little Warren Mather"
H.L. Bingham Photographer

Warren wears a white dress of summer and
a white bonnet with black mourning ribbons.
Children under twelve were not required to be dressed in mourning, though they often
were. When children were required to observe the mourning period, parents would
sometimes shortened the time considerably for the very young.
Children wore mourning garments for a year when they had lost a father, mother, brother,
or sister; but white and black were so combined in their costumes that the little ones were
not too deeply saddened by their attire.

A young girl and the
symbolic empty chair.

A young girl and her brother in
mourning.

A young boy and his grandmother in
mourning.
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Six months was the correct period of mourning for a grandparent; three months for an
uncle or aunt, although some felt that mourning was "not obligatory except for nearest
relatives." Much depended, however, on the degree of intimacy or affection that had existed.
Neither children nor dogs were taken out when making formal calls. Mourning calls were
against the rules of strict etiquette, therefore it was not proper etiquette to take a child to a
funeral, to the house of mourning, or to the cemetery.

Sources:
Duffey, E. B. The Ladies' and Gentelemen's Etiquette:
'A Complete Manual of the Manners
and Dress of American Society. New York : Henry B.
Ashmead, 1877.
Green, Walter Cox. A Dictionary of Etiquette: A Guide
to Polite Usage For All Social Functions. New York :
Brentanos, 1902.
Learned, Ellin Craven. The Etiquette of New York
Today. New York : Frederick A. Stokes, 1906.
Ruth, John A. Decorum: A Practical Treatise On
Etiquette and Dress Of The Best American. Chicago :
Union Publishing House, 1883.
Longstreet, Abby Buchanan. Social Etiquette of New
York. New York : D. Appleton and Company, 1883.
Photographs:
All photographs in the collection of the author.

A photo of Moises and Anacleta
Rojo with their children,
but Moises's face was pasted in
after the Spanish Civil War

MoĂ­ses Rojo of
Sinovas, Spain

The family farmer captured during the
Spanish Civil War is pasted into the
family photograph.
by Heather Wilkinson Rojo
When I -irst married my husband, a -irst
generation American, he took me to Spain
to meet his extended family. There was a
family photograph hanging in several
homes and someone pointed to the father
-igure and told me that was Moíses, my
father‐in‐law’s father. I knew that Moíses
had been killed before the birth of the
youngest child in the photograph. That’s
when I noticed that Moíses had been
pasted into the family group.
Sometimes modern history can be more
interesting than something that happened
in the 1600s. The events of the 20th
century certainly have more impact on us
than the doings of our May-lower
forebears. However, recent history can be
painful, and even hard to write about.
My father‐in‐law was born in Spain, and
grew up during the Spanish Civil War. Any
civil war is a horrible experience. If you
watched Ken Burns’ PBS special, you know
the emotions of hearing about brother
versus brother, cousin versus cousin,
neighbor versus neighbor. This Civil War in
Spain was no different than our own
American Civil War, or any other civil war.
When my father‐in‐law was only about
four or -ive years old, in 1936, his father

was arrested along with other men from
the area and imprisoned in the wine cellars
beneath the town of Aranda de Duero, in
Burgos.
The Spanish Civil War ran from 17 July
1936 to 1 April 1939 after an attempt at a
coup by some generals against the
government of the Second Spanish
Republic. The Republican monarchists,
known as the Carlists, fought against the
militaristic Nationalists, or Fascists. The
Fascists won the con-lict, which gave rise to
the dictatorship of General Francisco
Franco. The Nationalists were supported
by Portugal, Fascist Italy and Nazi
Germany, whilst the Soviet Union
supported the Republican side. Almost
two thousand Americans volunteered on
the Republican side, too.
Even on subsequent trips to Spain, and
visits with my father‐in‐law here in New
Hampshire, no one spoke about Moises
Rojo, the farmer captured during the
Spanish Civil War. Silence reigned over this
family. Over 25 years of marriage I learned
small facts:
- Moíses had been executed and
buried in a mass grave,

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-

-

his wife was still placing -lowers in
the forest at Monte Costajan where
the execution was supposed to take
place,
My father in law was given to the
Jesuit fathers‐ who took him to
South America for an education
away from the Civil War. .

Then, about -ive years ago, when I Googled
the words “Monte Costajan” images of the
recently uncovered graves appeared on my
computer monitor. 81 bodies were found,
and the researchers at the University of
Burgos had catalogued each one with
surprising detail. They measured the
approximate height of each man, listed the
approximate age, and described the
clothing, coins and buttons. Most were

wearing the rubber soled cloth shoes still
worn by farmers in the area, and were
between 20 and 35 years old, except for
one boy about 16 years old. Executed by
Fascists, the head wounds were detailed
and the positions of the bodies look, well,
like something out of the archeological
excavations of an ancient Roman war zone.
It’s hard to remember that these men were
the fathers and grandfathers of living
people.

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As a genealogist I found it hard to
understand the silence. I’m hungry for any
detail surrounding my family history.
However, many decades, many centuries
separate me from the uglier details of my
own family tree. I grew up in the Salem,
Massachusetts area, and no relatives ever
mentioned the witch trials in our
b a c k g r o u n d , e ve n t h o u g h w e a r e
descended of several victims, a judge, a
jailor, and many witnesses for and against
the accused. I wondered why Moisés was
pasted into his photo, and now I realize it
was just a tender gesture to reunite the
family, if only for a moment in the world of
photography.
Moises Rojo was the son of Higinio Rojo and
Brigida Torres, born 25 November 1902 in
Sinovas, executed in 1936 at Monte
Costaján, near Aranda de Duero, Burgos,
Spain; married to Anacleta Benito in
Quemada, Burgos, Spain. Anacleta was the
daughter of Gregorio Benito and Jacoba
Alvaro, born on 26 April 1909 in Quemada,
died on 30 December 1998 in Aranda de
Duero. Three children all born in Sinovas.
-

Heather Wilkinson Rojo is the
author of the blog Nutfield
Genealogy.

The full University of Burgos report can be found here.
Photographs of the buttons, shoes and bones are all
from the report. The text is in Spanish.

SAVING FACE

professional development
LEARNING NECESSARY SKILLS
REBECCA FENNING

My great‐great‐great grandfather Friedrich Hoffer died in Klosterneuburg, Austria in 1875
at the age of 75. He left behind a wife, a mother‐in‐law, 3 children, several grandchildren
and property in both Klosterneuburg and his hometown of Senica, Slovakia. His death
produced a small pile of probate and estate -iles, which now resides in the Archives of
Lower Austria (Niederösterreichische Landesarchiv), a page of which is reproduced here.
When I received the photocopies of these documents in the mail, my reaction was best
described as dismay. While my German is rudimentary at best, I know enough words to
generally make sense of genealogical records, and hours spent with 19th‐century
micro-ilms of Viennese Jewish vital records have given me a respectable facility with the
Suetterlin [ LINK ] handwriting of the period.
These pages, though, made me feel as if my skills were completely useless. All of the
internet resources and practice in the world can’t bring my 19th‐century German up to
snuff – I need someone to really teach me this stuff. University or cultural institute classes
are one way, of course, but there is one other avenue of education that I’d like to explore
here: professional development opportunities in the information studies -ield. Because
family historians often need to learn to use the same kinds of records and documents for
their research that librarians and archivists need to understand to do their jobs effectively,
library professional development activities can be great places for non‐librarians to learn
necessary skills.

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Summer is usually the busy time for library professional development of all kinds,
especially conferences and institutes. Conferences in particular may not always be the most
helpful for non‐professionals, but serious collectors and amateur historians won’t leave
them completely empty‐handed. The various sub‐groups of the American Library
Association (ALA) – such as the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the ALA – will probably
have at least one or two sessions at their conferences of that would help build skills helpful
for personal research. At the RBMS conference in Philadelphia this July [LINK], which I
attended, pre‐conference workshops like “Building Collections: Acquiring Materials and
Working with the Antiquarian Book Trade” or “Reference Sources for Rare Books” could be
just as helpful to non‐librarians. Even more technical discussion sessions during the
conference, like “Progressive Bibliography: Catalogers, Curators, and Crowdsourcing” could
be at least of potential interest to non‐librarian researchers, just in terms of keeping them
abreast of the developments in the institutions in which they may want to look for
resources. Big summer conferences like the Annual Meeting of the ALA [LINK] or the
Society of American Archivists (SAA) [LINK] also may be good places to look for topics of
interest. The registration and travel fees for attending these professional conferences as a
non‐professional, non‐member may not be feasible for all, but it’s worth seeing if any
national, regional, or local library or archives conferences may be planned for your city.
Other great resources for non‐information professionals can be found in the classes and
institutes run by organizations like the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
(CCAHA) [LINK] and the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School (RBS) [LINK]. Classes
I’ve attended, like the introduction to architectural records that CCAHA offered several
years ago, or the “Understanding Photographs: Introduction to Archival Principles &
Practices” course I took through SAA [LINK] would probably be of interest to the wider
world of researchers. Rare Book School is a slightly different animal altogether. RBS offers
weeklong classes throughout the summer at UVa in Charlottesville, Virginia (plus some
other courses during the rest of the year in other east coast locales) on topics like English
Paleography, 1500‐1750 (which I took this July), The Identi-ication of Photo Print
Processes, Provenance: Tracing Owners & Collections, and other topics related to rare

84 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

books, manuscripts, and all things bibliographic. Their usual audience is special collections
librarians, book dealers, independent scholars, professors and PhD students (my class was
4 professors, 2 librarians and 2 doctoral students), but genealogists, family historians and
collectors would be a welcome addition to any class, as the diversity of backgrounds and
aims in RBS classes is part of what makes them so interesting. UCLA hosts a California Rare
Book School [LINK] and other similar institutes are held throughout the Unites States and
around the world. [LINK]
In a future Saving Face column, I plan on writing about my paleographic experiences and
newfound quasi‐expertise in early modern handwriting, and you’ll be able to judge for
yourself how much it seems like I’ve learned from my professional development
experience.

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PENELOPE DREADFUL

a dreadful coincidence
THE MOURNING BROOCH
BY PENELOPE DREADFUL

Clarissa Stevens had two weaknesses, her eyesight and an obsession for tag sales. Ironically,
her keen eye had led her to some extraordinary treasures, while her farsightedness had also
led her to purchase a few cleverly disguised fakes. But now, after six years in the business,
Clarissa’s experience and patience were formidable assets. She was known throughout the
New England circuit as a savvy collector with a knack for discovering the next “hot” trend.
Vintage toys, charm bracelets, and wooden hand tools had all passed through Clarissa’s
barn. This week, she was combing the Connecticut countryside searching for mid‐century
eyeglasses made popular by a recent hit television series. Two of her favorite wayside thrift
shops had little to offer other than canine collectibles and smoking accessories, leftovers
from the last fad frenzy.
Now the summer day was beginning fade and dark clouds rolled over the horizon. Clarissa
shifted gears in her old Land Cruiser and pulled back on to the highway. She wanted to
make one more stop before the rain hit.
The road ran straight through late summer -ields, rolling over the next hill to continue on
out of sight. Occasional farmhouses and outbuildings dotted the landscape. Abruptly, a
crossroad appeared and Clarissa slowed to turn and follow a new course where more and
more trees and small houses -lanked the asphalt. In a few minutes she was at the village
outskirts, turning to park beside a tiny, trim, white Cape Cod cottage where a neat sign
marked A. Treasure.

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Clarissa parked the car and walked around the house to the side where a bright red door
stood ajar in the late afternoon sun. She stepped over the threshold, her dark hair catching
the afternoon light as she passed inside.
“Hello,” she called out. “Hellooooo.” Her greeting chimed into the room.
There was a -luttering of paper, and a small pewter‐haired woman moved into view,
packing paper and scissors in hand.
“Why, Clarissa,” she trilled. “So nice to see you, my dear. Come in, come in.”
“And hello to you too, Mrs. T, the shop looks absolutely packed. What have you been up to
lately.”
The older woman nodded in agreement. Setting aside her tools, she walked briskly to
Clarissa and hugged her affectionately.
“Busy, busy, busy,” she replied. “I’ve just been unpacking more bits and pieces, and was
ready for a break. Will you join me?”
Without waiting for a reply, Mrs. T moved to a small table set with crystal glasses, a pitcher
of cold iced tea, and a plate of homemade sugar cookies.
Ice clinked in their glasses as the women surveyed the room. Clarissa accepted a cookie and
thoughtfully took a bite. She didn’t know what it was, yet, but there was something here for
her today. She could feel it. Like a well‐trained hunting dog, Clarissa had caught a scent of
something rare.
The older woman glanced at Clarissa’s face. She felt it too. The electric charge of
anticipation.
But for now, both women talked about the weather, the upcoming sale season, and inquired
about mutual acquaintances.
“You look wonderful, as always, my dear,” Mrs. T said approvingly. Her gaze took in
Clarissa’s casual, yet purposeful, attire. Knee‐length khaki skirt, low canvas shoes, and
white cotton blouse with the always‐present antique gold brooch. Clarissa could, and did, -it
in anywhere.

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The dealer had watched Clarissa blossom from a studious, tentative novice to a seasoned
professional. Clarissa was known for playing fair in a business where “cutthroat” was a
common adjective. She sought items that other dealers had passed over, and used her
considerable Manhattan contacts to build on upcoming trends. She was the best of the old
collector with all the advantages of the modern market, and Mrs T was one of her biggest
fans.
For her part, Clarissa loved the older woman since a chance meeting at Brim-ield years ago.
Mrs. T had saved her from making more than a few costly and embarrassing mistakes in
her early days as a dealer. Nothing spectacular, just a gentle comment, “Oh, I shouldn’t go
any higher on that, my dear,” or a -irm shake of the head if she saw Clarissa’s hand linger
over an item in a stall.
For her part, Clarissa let drop little suggestions as to what kinds of stock might be good to
have on hand for the upcoming season, and Mrs. T managed to turn a small pro-it each year.
Small talk shifted to shop talk and the older woman gave Clarissa a nudge with her elbow.
“Well, dear,” she began, as usual, “you won’t believe what I have for you today.”
“A few pair of 50’s eyeglasses, I hope.”
“Those silly things,” Mrs. T was barely interested. “Just like we all used to wear. Hard to
think of them as anything very special, but yes, I do have a few for you.”
Clarissa was soon examining a tray over-lowing with heavy
lens and classic cat‐eye frames. She selected six pair
bedecked with rhinestones and another dozen assorted
men’s styles.
“The guys seem to be more adventurous with these than the girls,” she commented.
“Can’t say I blame them. It’s a lot easier to coordinate black or tortoise shell than fuschia.”
As Clarissa continued to shuf-le through the box she brushed against a few odd pieces of
jewelry, glittering old holiday brooches, broken earrings, scuffed watches.
“What’s all this stuff?” she asked. “Was it all the same lot?”

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“That, and more,” came the reply. Two more trays were brought forward, but it was a
chipped wooden box, obviously handmade, that caught Clarissa’s attention.
The box was small and -it easily in her hands. She could feel a slight weight,
nothing too heavy. There was no hinge, the lid -it over a carved groove and
came away smoothly from the bottom of the box. Clarissa set the lid aside
and turned back to the box.
Inside, Clarissa saw a shallow tray with three compartments, each
empty but lined with the remnants of once‐-ine velvet. Someone
had taken great care with this box, she thought. Each detail spoke
of the labor of love.
Her -ingers grasped the carved divider rails and Clarissa carefully pulled
out the tray revealing a roll of faded jet velvet tightly tied with a narrow length
of black silk ribbon.
Clarissa gently teased the knot open and carefully began to unroll the fabric. Six inches wide
with the raw edges folded back to make a narrow band of ink‐rich velvet, just long enough
to tie around an arm. As the last bits of fabric fell open, and Clarissa saw the gold brooch
inside, she gasped and her hand went to her mouth.
“Alice,” she cried, “Alice, did you unwrap this brooch?”
The older woman hurried over from the boxes she had been examining and peered at the
item now resting on Clarissa’s palm. She raised her eyes, and the two women looked at each
other, stunned.
For the image framed in delicate gold -iligree was an exact duplicate of the brooch worn on
Clarissa’s blouse. It was a treasure passed down from woman to woman in Clarissa’s family.
A visual remembrance of her ancestor, known only as MariMam, her maiden name
unknown.
“No, dear,” Alice replied carefully. “I haven’t had time to look in the box. It was included with
all these trays at Art’s sale last week. I was bidding on the eyeglasses for you and just happy

90 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

to get them all. I can see it is just like your own mourning brooch, but look, there’s
something else in the bottom of the box.”
Indeed, Clarissa looked past the loose velvet and saw the back of a cabinet card photograph.
She pulled it free and sat stunned.
In beautiful script, someone had written, “Clara Jane Hammond, age 23, Class of 1895,
Connecticut Teacher’s College, May 24.” And in another hand, “Mother would have been 92
years old at my graduation. She was with me in sprit, as always. R.I.P. Marissa Jane
Hammond, Mother.”
“ I can’t believe it,” Clarissa exclaimed and she turned over the photograph. “This must be
Great‐Great Grandmother Clara. I’ve never seen a picture of her, but look she’s wearing the
brooch, and . . .”
“My dear,” interrupted Alice, “my dear, girl. You are a twin for your
Great‐Great Grandmother. Just look!” And, pulling Clarissa to a
mirror, Alice held the photograph next to the young girl’s face.
Looking back from the glass were three nearly identical women,
each breathing life in a different century. Marissa, memorialized in a delicate gold frame;
Clara, standing tall and proud in a portrait image; and now, Clarissa, their namesake,
wearing the brooch that linked all three.
copyright 2010 Denise Levenick

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IN2GENEALOGY

the evidence of life
A CAUTIONARY TALE
BY CAROLINE POINTER

“...but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
~Benjamin Franklin
Memento mori is Latin for “remember you must die," according to Dictionary.com. Pretty
morbid, isn't it? At -irst glance, maybe it is. But is it really referring to the act of death itself?
Or perhaps, as historians have suggested, it means not to gloat over your conquest. That it
easily could have been you on the other side of that conquest. That you may have won this
time, but that your death will come too.
But maybe the reminder of this certainty of our mortality is a term of caution to us of how
we live our lives. To think about what we will leave behind. Or perhaps it's a mixture of the
three. To realize that we are mortal, that to believe otherwise is foolish, and that what we
do while we are living will be passed on to future generations. In this sense, memento mori
is quite relevant to us as genealogy and family history researchers. Because in this
reminder of death is a reminder of life with each ancestor that we discover. With each story
that we uncover.

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And, yes, Benjamin Franklin's reminder about the only two certainties in life being death
and taxes may make us chuckle. It's what he doesn't mention that's important to us as
researchers – all the paperwork that surrounds these two certain events in a person's life,
especially death. Paperwork and documents that along with giving us details of our
ancestors' deaths, provides for us details of their lives. Evidence of their lives.
Following is a listing and some examples of the types of paperwork and/or documents with
some tips on where to look for them that can provide ‐ if not direct evidence ‐ then clues of
an ancestor's death and their life. Emphasis has been placed on, of course, death
certi-icates, but there are many other types of documents that should be searched for that
can yield information on both an ancestor's death and their life, and these are touched upon
as well.
DEATH CERTIFICATES
Death certi-icates can be very helpful in your search for clues about both your ancestor's
life and their death. Below are three examples of death certi-icates or records from my own
family research. The -irst one is my 2nd great‐grandfather's, Daniel Rook Vaughan's, and the
second is his and Annie O'Brien's oldest child's, Henry Lewis Vaughan's, death certi-icate.
They are both from the state of Texas, and illustrate just what kind of information can be
gleaned from a death certi-icate. The third example is from the death record of one of my
3rd great‐grandfathers, Nelson Martin, from Johnson County, Illinois.
Example #1: Life and Death On Devine Street
According to his death certi-icate, Daniel Rook Vaughan passed away 26 Dec 1909 in San
Antonio, Texas from “cardiac valviular [valvular] disease” and from a “chronic ulcer of the
stomach”. Prior to his death he had resided at 201 Devine St. in San Antonio, Texas and had
been at this residence for three months. He had also resided in the state of Texas for 8 years
according to the death certi-icate. Having been born in Michigan, Daniel was 62 years, 1
month, and 14 days old, was married, and was a contractor by trade at the time of his death.
His parents are listed as Benjamine Vaughn and Susiana Rook, both born in Michigan. He
was buried at the K.P. Cemetery, and the undertaker is listed as Shelley Undertaking

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Company located on Military Plaza. So, according to his death certi-icate, a search for
Daniel's birth in Michigan would be logical. In addition, looking up his burial place, K.P., and
the undertaking company in San Antonio just might be helpful in learning something more
about Daniel. Not to mention taking a photo of his tombstone and looking up his residence
on 201 Devine Street to see if his and Annie's home is still standing might be informative.
His tombstone might have additional information on it, and he might be buried next to or
nearby relatives.
However, not everything is correct on his death certi-icate, and this is why we must be
careful in how this information and all information is dealt with concerning our ancestors.
Daniel's birth date is listed as 26 Dec 1909, which is impossible because that's his date of
death. It's an obvious error. What happened? I don't know. I would suppose that “life
happened.” Maybe Dr. Wein-ield was in a rush. Maybe he had another patient to attend to.
Maybe he was on his fourth donut, 5th cup of coffee, and bleary‐eyed from working 18 hours
straight. Basically, I don't know, but I do know that it's incorrect. Does this mean everything
else is wrong? No, not necessarily. It just means that I need to follow‐up each and every clue
on here to the best of my ability to check the validity of each piece of information. A
daunting task? Maybe, but I'm sure to -ind out more about Daniel along the way. And that's

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a good thing. In fact, as genealogists, -inding out more about our ancestors is what we're
always trying to do, is it not?
Example #2: One Mile North of Utopia
The second example of a death certi-icate and the kind of information that can be obtained
from it is from Daniel's and Annie's oldest child, Henry Lewis Vaughan. I'm not going to list
all the details like I did for Daniel, but I would like to point out a few. First of all, his death
certi-icate is from a much later time period than his father's was – 1956, and there is more
information listed. Under occupation, it's listed that he was a “retired master mariner of
ocean shipping”, and that he had participated in the Spanish War, which tells me there's
paperwork lying somewhere waiting to be found, primarily military and occupation
records.
Additionally, an informant is listed, and this is the person who was giving the information
for the death certi-icate. This is usually a loved one or someone close to the family. In this
case, further research suggests that it was his son H.D. (Henry Daniel) Vaughan. One thing
that could be said about these informants is that they were human, and thus, subject to
making errors due to grief or simply not knowing all the facts, which is understandable
given the circumstances, but it does underscore the very reason why it is so important to
check the validity of the information stated on a death certi-icate
Further, Henry died from a head‐on automobile collision instantaneously, and instead of a
doctor signing off on his death certi-icate, a coroner did. Though an autopsy was not
performed, it's quite possible that the rural coroner in Bandera, Texas had to -ill out a
report of some kind in addition to the death certi-icate. Perhaps there was a police report
and/or a newspaper article of the accident in a local newspaper. There's de-initely more
paperwork to be found on how Henry Lewis died. And perhaps how he lived right before he
died. He was 78 years old at the time of the accident. Had he been speeding? Drinking?
Fighting with his wife? Had there been another car and driver involved on this rural road?
Or had he hit a tree? If there was another car, had the other driver been speeding or
drinking? I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Following up on these leads just

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might help me -ind out if Henry's life lived up to his rural address, “one mile north of
Utopia”.
Example #3: The Crossroads of Life and Death
My 3rd great‐grandfather, Nelson Martin's death, which occurred 7 Jul 1887, was recorded
in the Register of Deaths for Johnson County, Illinois. Though there isn't as much
information listed on it compared to the death certi-icates above, there is some that lead to
more information about Nelson's death and his life. According to the entry, he had been a
farmer, and at the time of his death, he had been 65 years, 4 months, and 8 days old. Born in
North Carolina, Nelson had lived in Illinois for 34 years and had suffered for 18 months and
ultimately died from a debility due to a malignant tumor. Nelson was buried in
Reynoldsburg Cemetery 9 Jul 1887, and the undertaker had been Carter Harwick from
Vienna, Illinois, which is located nearby where he lived. So, in a brief death register entry,
clues that might lead to more information, such as the cemetery and undertaker
information and maybe the physician's records as well, are given. Also, the length of time
he'd lived in Illinois could point me to land and tax records for Nelson. In addition,
considering the time period, the only way his family and physician would've known that he
had been suffering from a tumor would have been through his symptoms. Visible ones.
Probably painful ones. And his road of life those last 18 months there in Cross Roads,
Johnson County, Illinois were possibly quite bumpy for Nelson and his family.
WHERE TO FIND DEATH CERTIFICATES
Some death certi-icates can be found online and even
more can be found of-line, but access to the of-line
death certi-icates might prove to be dif-icult, if not
impossible, depending on privacy laws. However,
don't let this stop you from looking for or trying to
obtain them. You won't know if you don't look.
Actual digital images of death certi-icates can be
found in the following places online. I'm not even going to

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attempt to list states that these sites encompass because, just like everything else on the
internet, they're ever‐changing. Your job is to explore the sites and determine if the state
that you need is included, and to keep checking back to those sites every once and awhile to
see what's been added.
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FamilySearch.org's Record Search – Before typing in the name of your ancestor,
choose to browse the collections that are available for the U.S. This will let you know
if there are digital images available of death certi-icates in the state you are
researching. In addition, some of their digitized death certi-icates are actual links to
archive databases within a particular state, such as is the case with the state of West
Viriginia. In the example above, Henry Lewis Vaughan's death certi-icate was found
using FamilySearch.org's Record Search. [ LINK ]
Footnote.com – [$$] Again, browsing their collections by location would be the best
way to determine if they, indeed, have digital images of death certi-icates for the
state you are researching. In the example above, Daniel Rook Vaughan's death
certi-icate was obtained using this database. [ LINK ]
Ancestry.com – [$$] While they don't have images of death certi-icates, they do have
indexes. [ LINK ]. They also now allow you to search by location [ LINK ]. Just scroll
down to the map and click on a state to see what collections are available.

So what do you do when it's not online? Some states' archives have digitized their death
certi-icates (like West Virginia mentioned above), some have indexes of death records that
are available in their archives, and some have no death certi-icate information online. So
how do you -ind them?
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Consult a reference book such as The Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists
edited by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack and Erin Nevius,
Consult Cyndi's List for death/vital information [ LINK ],
Consult Joe Beine's Online Searchable Death Index [ LINK ],
Consult FamilySearch.org's Research Guides [ LINK ],
Perform a Google search for the particular state you're interested in and the phrase
“state archives” (e.g., “Illinois state archives”), or try the name of the county, state,
and the term “death certi-icates”. Sometimes Google can be your best friend.

In the death record example above for Nelson Martin, I consulted the Illinois Regional
Archives Depository (IRAD) [ LINK ] and veri-ied that for the possible year of death a death
record might be in their archives, and then I wrote them a letter of inquiry. After several
weeks, I received photocopies of the page that Nelson's death was recorded on. Cost? $1 for

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the photocopy plus the postage for my letter. Sometimes “old school” can be your best
friend, too. (And sometimes it's your only friend.)
OTHER PAPERWORK DOCUMENT BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE
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Tax Rolls/Records – When looking at tax records, if suddenly one year instead of
your ancestor being listed, his widow is listed (and sometimes the title “widow” is
used), then obviously he passed away sometime in the previous year, narrowing the
time frame for his death a little more. Where to -ind them? Libraries, archives,
genealogy and historical societies, courthouses, etc. Again, survey the repositories in
your target research state, county, and/or city. Some transcribed and/or abstracted
tax lists can be found on USGenWeb.org [ LINK ] under the corresponding county as
well as on other sites. However, even if you -ind the information this way, you still
need to try to -ind the original tax records if they still exist. I don't trust myself to
abstract and/or transcribe information accurately 100 percent of the time. Why
would I trust anyone else? You can also use the Family History Library's online
catalog to do a “place search” in order to determine if they have what you need on
micro-ilm [ LINK ], and Ancestry.com [$$] has some tax lists and indexes as well
[ LINK ].
Military Service & Pension Records – Military records can yield many
genealogical clues about your ancestor, including information about an ancestor's
death. These are located at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and more
information concerning obtaining these records can be found here [ LINK ]. In
addition, the military pension index cards can have the date of death listed on them
as well. Images of these index cards can be found on Footnote.com and
Ancestry.com. The example shown here is for Daniel Rook Vaughan's Civil War
pension index card found on Footnote.com
[ LINK ]. Some military records are available on
micro-ilm for rental through the Family History
Library. You can use their online catalog to do a
“place search” in order to determine if they have
what you need on micro-ilm. [ LINK ]
•Land Records – Land records are chock full
of genealogical data about our ancestors due
to the particular requirements in purchasing
land from the government. If your ancestor
died in the middle of the process, his widow
and/or heirs were still allowed to complete

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the process, and this information would have been recorded in the land case -ile for
the purchase. Land case -iles are located at the National Archives in Washington,
D.C. and information to obtain copies is located here [ LINK ]. If it was an individual‐
to‐individual land transaction, let's say in a particular county, and your ancestor
died in the process, it's quite possible that his or her estate may have completed the
transaction after his or her death. So looking up county land transactions may be
helpful in determining death information, such as date of death and/or the name of
the executor or executrix of the will and who may have completed the land
transaction. They could've been a family member or close friend. Most of these
transactions are not online, so you'll need to determine what local government
entity has these records or locate the archives that has them either by looking
online or simply calling. In my own research, my grandfather's estate (Joseph
Marshall) had some property that his estate owned, and it was sold after his death
and the transaction was executed by the executrix of his estate in Bexar County,
Texas. Fortunately for those doing research in Bexar County, Texas, historical land
transactions have been indexed and digitized, and they are available for free online
through the Bexar County Clerk's Of-ice [ LINK ]. How did I -ind this out? Well,
according to my reference book, Bexar County's land records beginning in 1736 are
handled by the County Clerk's of-ice. So I went to their website, created a free
account, and searched their database. If they hadn't had them available online, then
I would've followed the county's listed online guidelines for inquiring, which would
have probably meant doing it “old school” ‐ writing a letter of inquiry. Books where
land information has been abstracted from original records can be found at local
libraries, archives, and/or genealogy and historical societies. Obtaining this
information is just a -irst step though. You must then use this information to locate
the original records, if possible. Again, I don't even trust myself to abstract and/or
transcribe information accurately 100 percent of the time. Why would I trust
anyone else? Also, a “place search” of the Family History Library's online catalog
may yield land records in your target research area. Ancestry.com [$$] also has
some of these types of records [ LINK ].
Municipalities ‐ Some municipalities and counties started recording vital
information before the state required registration. For example in Texas, state‐
required birth and death registration began in 1903, and every source online or
of-line will indicate this as well. However, the city of Houston started recording
births much earlier than this, and the records are available in the book, City of
Houston Births 1874 through May 1900, at Clayton Library Center for Genealogy
Research in Houston, Texas [ LINK ], which can be found using their online catalog.

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Therefore, it would behoove you to dig deeper than just the state vital registrations
and locate the county and city recordings. You just might get lucky.
Newspapers & Obituaries – Death notices and obituaries are the most common
articles that we are looking for concerning an ancestor's death in newspapers. They
can have many tidbits of information of your ancestor's death and their life.
However, don't forget the news articles. If your ancestor's death was questionable,
or if they had been killed or murdered, then it would have been newsworthy,
especially in smaller communities. Yes, there are many historical newspapers
available online through Ancestry.com [ LINK ], Footnote.com [ LINK ],
GenealogyBank.com [ LINK ], and NewspaperArchives.com [ LINK ]. But there are
many that aren't available online. Let me repeat that. Not all historical newspapers
are available online. As with other records, you need to -ind where these
newspapers are located in your target research area by inquiring at the closest
libraries, archives, etc. in that area. Don't forget university libraries either. For
example, in the Houston area along with what can be found in the usual places
online for historical newspapers, certain local newspapers can be found at Clayton
Library Center for Genealogy Research [ LINK ], at the Houston Metropolitan
Research Center [ LINK ], in the Houston Public Library's Texas and Local History
Collection (a.k.a. the Texas Room) [ LINK ], and at the local university libraries. But
an extensive collection of local and Texas historical newspapers can be found at Rice
University located in Houston [ LINK ]. So, don't be afraid to search university online
databases, email the university libraries, or simply call and ask around.
Coroner's Reports – If there was anything questionable about your ancestor's
death, an autopsy was probably performed and that would mean a coroner's report
would have been -iled. These type of reports could be very eye‐opening about your
ancestor's death and maybe their life as well. Where to -ind these reports? Probably
in the county that it was -iled in or wherever they
have archived this information. Dae Powell on his
website, Shoestring Genealogy [ LINK ], has a
wonderful article that explains all about coroner's
reports and how to use them in genealogy
research.
Cemeteries, funeral homes, bodies in transit,
burial permits, monument companies – Like
most life events, there is a process, and if that
life event involves a city or county government,
then you can (usually) be guaranteed there
was paperwork involved. When someone

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passes away, there is a process that is followed by hospitals, funeral homes, and
cemeteries in order for the funeral service to occur. George G. Morgan has written a
very informative article that explains this process and the paperwork that is
generated that you might -ind useful in your research, Using Burial Permits As
Resources [ LINK ]. Some other relevant places to look online are Cyndi's List
[ LINK ], Tennessee's GenWeb site [ LINK ], Daddezio.com [ LINK ],
Obituarieshelp.org [ LINK ], and FuneralNet.com [ LINK ].
Hospital Records – These might be hard to -ind, let alone obtain, but a call to the
hospital (if it's still open), a talk with the local librarian or archivist, and a thorough
search at the local or state archives just might yield the records you are looking for.
Additionally, some records have been micro-ilmed by the Family History Library and
are available for rental through your local Family History Center. Also check with the
local genealogy and historical societies. They may have in their collection the Family
History Library micro-ilm on inde-inite loan for the area, as is the case for the
Geneaogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan [ LINK ]. The local Family
History Center is located in the same building as the society, so the society provides
an online index of the over 2000 frequently used -ilm for Washtenaw County on
their website, and they offer look‐ups of their complete library (not just the
micro-ilm) for a small contribution.
Church Records – Each type of
church, denomination, and place
of worship is going to handle
the archiving of their records
differently. If you know the
church your ancestor attended
and it's still open, then call the
church and inquire about their
records. If the church is no
longer open, but there is
another church located near
there of the same denomination,
then call that church. You can
a l s o l o o k o n l i n e f o r t h e
denomination, and inquire about the archiving of records by phone, email or snail
mail. For example, the archives for the Episcopal Church in the United States is
located in Austin, Texas and their website is located here [ LINK ], and it includes a
listing of their holdings as well as their digital archives.

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Insurance Policies / Records – O.K. so, this is probably going to be dif-icult to -ind
as well. But not impossible. GenealogyToday.com [ LINK ] has a collection of
insurance records that can be searched for free, but an annual subscription is
needed for detailed information. However, a listing of surnames is included as a part
of the free information. Ancestry.com has some insurance records online too
[ LINK ]. In addition, there are many people out there (myself included) who collect
ephemera from antique stores, both online and of-line. Just what is ephemera?
According to Dictionary.com [LINK ], the second de-inition reads “items designed to
be useful or important for only a short time, esp. pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.”
Well, it may have been designed to only be important for a short period of time, but
to a genealogist or family historian, this is paperwork that is useful for a long period
of time. At least we hope it is. AncestorsPast.com [ LINK ] is a company that sells
ephemera, books, photos, etc., and can be searched by keywords that include
surnames, locations, etc. It's a virtual antique store, if you will. Another place to look
would be eBay. You can also Google to -ind places that sell speci-ic types of
ephemera, such as postcards.
Orphanage Records ‐ The local librarian in the area that you are researching might
be able to point you in the right direction for the history of orphanages in the area
and if the records still exist, where they might be archived. A child was not
necessarily orphaned because both parents had passed away, but may have been
orphaned because their family was too poor to take care of them. However, if one or
both parents had passed away, it's
quite possible that their death
information might be listed in their
child's orphan records. The Orphan
Train Heritage Society of America may
be of some help as well [ LINK ].
Family Bibles – While not always
accurate, they can be useful in -inding
out the date of death of an ancestor.
Don't have a family bible? Then search
online at virtual antique stores and on
eBay. You never know until you look.
County Histories – These also may not be accurate, but still are a source for
information concerning the life and death of your ancestor. These can be found
sometimes transcribed on the county sites on USGenWeb.org [ LINK ]. Some of the
books have been digitized on Google Books [ LINK ], and a portion of those are out of
copyright so you are able to read the full version online. If your library participates

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in Heritage Quest Online, with a library card you can access from home their book
collections which are searchable by person, place, and/or title. Many county
histories can be read, saved to your hard drive, and/or printed from this site.
Funeral Programs/Cards – This would be considered ephemera too, but there is a
Facebook group called Funeral Cards and Genealogy [ LINK ] and a blog named
Funeral Cards [ LINK ] concerning (You guessed it.) funeral cards both by Dee.
Speci-ic funeral cards are researched, written about and discussed, and if it's your
ancestor, they can be gifted to you.
Mortality Schedules – If you are researching census records (And who isn't?), then
mortality schedules should not be overlooked. If someone passed away in the 12
months preceeding a census in the following census years 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880,
or 1885, then they were to be listed on these shedules. Ancestry.com does offer a
free index of these schedules, and as part of their subscription, more detailed
information, including the digital image, is available as well [ LINK ]. The following
link is a listing of all items in the Family History Library for mortality schedules:
[ LINK ]. A “place search” could have been done as well, then a search for mortality
schedules in that particluar place. Of course mortality schedules are kept and are
available through the National Archives in Washington, D.C. [ LINK ].
SSDI – Social Security Disability Index can be accessed many places online, such as
SteveMorse.com [free & searches multiple databases at once] [ LINK ],
FamilySearch.org [free] [ LINK ], Ancestry.com [$$] [ LINK ], GenealogyBank.com
[free] [ LINK ], and Rootsweb.com [free] [ LINK ]
Probate (wills) – Wills and probate records can be rich with information about an
ancestor's life and death. Sometimes even relationships with certain family
members or associates can be ascertained in an ancestor's will. These can be found
transcribed and/or abstracted in books at the library, and in books at local
genealogy societies. However, to -ind originals, consult a reference book, like The
Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists edited by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack and
Erin Nevius, to determine where these are archived in your target research area.
Ancestry.com [$$] has some records as well [ LINK ].
Fraternal Orders – Fraternal Orders are pretty easy to locate online. The most
recognizable would be the Masons or FreeMasons. CyndisList.com has a web page
dedicated to fraternal orders and societies located here [ LINK ]. In the example of

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my 2nd great‐grandfather's (Daniel Rook Vaughan's) death certi-icate above, I
Googled the term “K.P.”, and I didn't -ind anything. However, on his wife's (Annie
O'Brien Vaughan's) death certi-icate, it was listed as “K of P,” which turned out to be
the Knights of Pythias cemetery. The Knights of Pythias [ LINK ] is a fraternal order
which was started in 1864 to help heal the country even before the Civil War had
ended. I contacted the order through their website to get con-irmation of his
membership in the San Antonio Chapter of the order. They were able to provide me a
copy of the minutes to two different business meetings for the San Antonio, Bexar
County, Texas chapter. The -irst was where his transfer of membership was accepted
in 1902, and the second was the recording of his death in 1909. So, not only did they
indicate Daniel's membership in this order, but it narrowed down the time period in
which he came to San Antonio and con-irmed his date of death. In addition, it also
gave a complete listing of members he quite possibly knew as friends,
acquaintances, and/or fellow veterans of the Civil War. Because they only do look‐
ups by chapter and they are not digitized, I will have to trace where else he had been
a member of this order by his residences to hopefully -ind where he signed up and to
obtain a copy of his application.
Eulogies – These might be dif-icult to -ind. One place to look online is here [LINK],
but these are of famous people. However, if the church where the funeral was held is
still open, try calling and speaking to the church secretary to -ind out if copies are
kept, if they are archived, and where you might -ind them. It may be that the church
does not keep a copy, but perhaps the priest, minister, or other person who delivered
the eulogy retained a copy. The church might be able to help you locate them and
their records. If the church is no longer open, try contacting a church of the same
denomination nearby to locate their archives for that denomination as a whole. Why
try this long‐shot? Eulogies can be intensely personal giving a deep glimpse of what
kind of person our ancestor was. A good example of this is when my father passed
away. His good friend and priest, who we had asked to deliver his eulogy, requested
that my brother, sister, and I write down what we had learned from our father so
that he could include our words in his eulogy. We had no clue what the other had
written down about our father, but to our surprise we found out at the service we
had essentially written down the same thing. (Albeit, mine was a bit wordier.) Could
you imagine our descendants down the line getting a hold of a copy of that eulogy?
Unquestionably, they would know a whole lot about how he led his life and what
kind of person he was.
Online Memorials – There are several websites that are online memorials or virtual
tombstones/cemeteries. Most notably is FindAGrave.com [ LINK ]. However there
are others such as Interment.net [ LINK ] and HeadstonesGenealogy.com [ LINK ].

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The information available on these sites can include photos of tombstones,
transcriptions of the tombstones, and transcriptions of obituaries.
SOME AFRICAN AMERICAN DEATH RECORD HELPS
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AfriGeneas.com [ LINK ] ‐ This database boasts almost 23,000 African American
death records that include obituaries, funeral cards, and cemetery records.
Freedmen's Bank ‐ These records can inlcude death information, especially if the
original passbook had been lost and a new one was applied for. These are located at
the National Archives in Washington, D.C. More information about them can be
found here [ LINK ], and information about obtaining them can be found here
[ LINK ] An index for the records can be found on Ancestry.com [$$] [ LINK ]
Freedmen's Bureau – These records can include death information for African
Americans as well as for caucasions. These are located at the National Archives in
Washington, D.C. More information about obtaining them can be found here [ LINK ].
Ancestry.com [$$] has digital images of the -ield of-ice records here [ LINK ].
Southern Claims Case Files – These records can include death information for
African Americans as well as for caucasions. More information about them can be
found here [ LINK ]. They are located at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
More information about obtaining them can be found here [ LINK ].
RootsTelevesion.com – There is a video called African American Research – Part 2
of 2 that covers the speci-ic problems and strategies for African American research,
including vital records. [ LINK ].

MISCELLANEOUS HELPS
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I've mentioned the Family History Library's online catalog and the “place search” of
it several times. Actually their library can contain just about any of the above
mentioned records. Therefore, this should be one of the -irst places you look,
especially if you are doing long‐distance research. To determine the closest local
Family History Center to you for renting micro-ilm, visit this page on their website
[ LINK ].
RootsTelevision.com also has a video about researching death records called Tracing
Your Family Roots ­ Records of Death with Arline Sachs and Charles “Chuck” Mason,
Jr. that is very helpful [ LINK ].
Yet another site to offer an index of death records is Daddezio.com [ LINK ]
Daddezio.com also offers a directory for genealogy societies here [ LINK ].
Old Causes of Death – So what did it mean when someone died of consumption?
Find out here [ LINK ].

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Tombstone Calculator – Need to calculate date of birth from age at death and date of
death that are listed on a tombstone? You can do it here at SearchForAncestors.com
[LINK].
Age Calculator – Need to calculate the age of an ancestor? This too can be done at
SearchForAncestors.com [LINK].
diigo.com – [ LINK ] This is a bookmarking site where groups are formed based on a
common interest and members share their bookmarks with the other members of
the group. There are quite a few genealogy‐based groups, but the one that I
participate in the most is called “Genealogy Research Resources”. As each member
surfs the net for any type of genealogy websites, they bookmark the site, apply
certain keywords that they think describe the site, choose to share it with the group
as a whole, and then save to their own bookmark library at diigo.com. It sounds like
it takes a while to do this, but in all actuality, it only takes a minute or so. Then, when
you go to research a speci-ic topic, like for example death records, then you can
search your library as well as the group's library for links with this keyword or
phrase. It can be very bene-icial to your online research work-low.
Twitter.com – [ http://twitter.com/ ] This is a online micro‐blogging social network
that more and more genealogists are beginning to use for their research. I use
Twitter in many ways, but research‐wise, if I can't -ind what I'm looking for both
online or of-line, I usually tweet a research question to my Twitter followers, and
there's usually someone out there who can help me with research in a particular
area, types of records, etc. in real‐time. Diane Haddad wrote a blog post on Family
Tree Magazine's blog “Genealogy Insider” [ LINK ] that lists more ways Twitter can
be very useful to genealogists. (Oh, and if you're not already following me on Twitter,
please feel free to do so: @FamilyStories.)
One Could Say...
Night is the evidence of day.
Dark is the evidence of light.
Cold is the evidence of heat.
Sadness is the evidence of happiness.

And death? Well, it's the evidence of life. A life -illed with family stories. Stories that allow
us a glimpse of our ancestors. But they are also a reminder to us of what we, ourselves, will
leave behind. Our legacies. Our histories. Our stories. For we know full well the meaning of
memento mori. We know that like our ancestors we, too, shall die. But we also know that
our death will be the evidence that we lived.

106 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010

“If I had my life all over again I should form the habit of nightly composing myself to thoughts
of death. I would practise, as it were, the remembrance of death. There is no other practise
which so intensiQies life. Death, when it approaches, ought not to take one by surprise. It
should be part of the full expectancy of life. Without an ever­present sense of death life is
insipid. You might as well live on the whites of eggs.”
~Muriel Spark (b.1918), British Novelist.
Henry Mortimer in “Memento Mori”, ch. 11 (1959)
Sources and Credits:
"Our_new_Constitution_is_now_established_and_has." Columbia World of Quotations. Columbia University
Press, 1996. 25 Jul. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://quotes.dictionary.com/
Our_new_Constitution_is_now_established_and_has>.
"Memento mori." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 27 Jul. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://
dictionary.reference.com/browse/memento mori>.
Wikipedia contributors. "Memento mori." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia, 20 Jul. 2010. Web. 7 Jul. 2010.
Tertullian, translated by Alexander Souter. Apologeticus.
http://www.tertullian.org/articles/mayor_apologeticum/mayor_apologeticum_07translation.htm : 2010.
“Texas Death Certi-icates.” Database and Images. Footnote.com. (http://footnote.com/ : accessed 6 May 2008).
“Texas Deaths, 1890‐1976.” Database and Images. FamilySearch.org. (http://search.labs.familysearch.org/
recordsearch/start.html?..#p=collectionDetails&c=fs%3A1320964 : 26 Jan 2010).
Martin, Nelson. Death Register Entry. 7 July 1887, Johnson County, Illinois. Photocopy of page from Death
Records loacted at the Southern Illinois University's Illinois Regional Archived Depository (IRAD) for Johnson
County. Supplied 25 Feb 2009 by Paul Skonberg, IRAD intern.
"If_I_had_my_life_over_again_I." Columbia World of Quotations. Columbia University Press, 1996. 25 Jul. 2010.
<Dictionary.com http://quotes.dictionary.com/If_I_had_my_life_over_again_I>.

Genealogy Gems Podcast LIVE Show
You始ve heard it on your computer and iPod, and now
you can see a free live presentation of the popular
Genealogy Gems Podcast Show at the Family History
Expo in Pleasanton, CA! Genealogy podcaster Lisa
Louise Cooke will be chatting with the audience and a
captivating line-up of guests on:
Friday, October 8, 2010
TIME: 6:30 pm
Cost: $14.95 (Dessert Bar)
LOCATION: Ag Building at the Fairgrounds
Enjoy tasty treats and sit in on a rare opportunity to see
a podcast production in action. Lisa始s special guests
include authors from the popular Shades of the
Departed online magazine who will be sharing stories of
genealogical inspiration:

Craig Manson
The GeneaBlogie Blog

Sheri Fenley
The Educated Genealogist Blog

PRIZES WILL BE GIVEN AWAY THROUGHOUT
THE PODCAST!
www.GenealogyGems.com

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The Imprint Or Logo - This represents the many photographic competitions won by Allen & Rowell.
Edward L. Allen and Frank Rowell were active as photographers in Boston from 1874-1892. For many years
they were the leading photographers in the city of Boston. The work of this firm was distinguished for the
greatest technical skill and refined artistic excellence, and commanded the highest prices. Most of their
portraits were printed in carbon, of which process Mr. Rowell was a noted expert. Mr. Rowell made the
sittings, while Mr. Allen managed the business-affairs and the office, although active in the workrooms when
required. Every person of note in Boston was photographed by Allen & Rowell - Emerson, Sumner, & Alcott
to name a few.
“They do everything in photography and kindred branches. They make every size of a photograph, from the
small heads required for faces of ladies' watches, to enlarged life sizes. They make every variety of
photograph. They do all kinds of photographic copying. They produce exquisite crayon portraits. They
execute artistic oil portraits. They make exterior views. They make interior views. They make instantaneous
photographs. They do all the work of printing and developing negatives made by amateurs. They
manufacture dry plates for sale to amateurs and photographers. They manufacture all the materials needed
for carbon prints. They are almost the only firm in New England making a specialty of the permanent carbon
prints, because photographers as a rule avoid this work, as it involves more skill, more cost, more time, and
gives less profit.” From an 1884 Advertisement in Wilsons’ Photographic Magazine.